Kibo of the Thunder Legion
by SwiftDragonfly
Summary: Summary: Kibo is a strange woman with no past, but plenty of smiles. After crossing paths with the Thunder Legion, she gains a new family, and will do anything to protect them. Bickslowxoc
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is another one of my stories that I wrote like… two or three years ago? This is one of the many variations that eventually led up to _Walking Cliche._ I have a lot of fun/strange Bickslow stories. :)

 **8/18/19 Author's Note:** So apparently I didn't put at the beginning that this doesn't have a solid ending. Most of my stories don't have an end, and I usually add that at the beginning of the stories, but it looks like I forgot on this one. Sorry about that! Most of my stories nowadays might not have a concrete ending, buuuuut they are super long, so there's that? ( _Walking Cliche_ is over 1,000,000 words in total) One of the few ones that did have a concrete ending for ended up being deleted for reasons. :(

 **Summary:** Kibo is a strange woman with no past, but plenty of smiles. After crossing paths with the Thunder Legion, she gains a new family, and will do anything to protect them. Bickslowxoc

Beginning is set between the guild war and Laxus attacking Fairy Tail during the festival. This chapter is set with my main character being 12, but after the time skip she'll be 19.

 **Chapter 1:**

 _A New Home?_

"Will you stop following us?" Evergreen huffed, glaring at the little girl that followed behind them. They were currently in a dense, green forest, and a little homeless girl had started following them for some reason. Her hair was long, dark brown, and tied back in a braid- she looked around 12 years old. The girl's face was dirty and matching her even more filthy clothes that hung from her thin limbs.

"Yeah, scram kid." Bickslow told her, his babies echoing his last words to her.

She seemed unfazed, just smiling at them and doing a little twirl.

"We'll drop her off at town." Laxus announced, surprising his team.

"But… Laxus, she-"

"She's probably lost, and just following us to get back into town. Leave her alone."

"You're so kind, Laxus!" Fried swooned, and the rest of his team gave their leader an uneasy glance, but obeyed the order nonetheless.

"What are those floating thingies?" The girl asked, referring to Bickslow's 'babies'.

"None of your business." He told her, crossing his arms as he walked and trying to ignore her inquisitive stares. "Yeah, scram kid." The babies echoed to her, causing her to giggle as they edged dangerously close to her, and surprise the group.

She jumped up, trying to touch one of them, but missed. The girl leaped again, trying to grab one, but they kept going just out of her reach. Each time she missed, she giggled, and the group couldn't help but smile at the kid.

"Where's your family?" Evergreen inquired, relaxing a bit at the child's presence. Usually she hated children, much like Bickslow, but the girl's smile seemed contagious.

"They died." She said, and twirled as she tried to catch one of the flying puppets again, missing just as before. "A mean dragon killed them."

"A dragon?" Laxus asked, similar surprise spreading to the other wizard's faces. "I thought dragons were gone?"

"It happened a long time ago." She said, and then squealed when one of the puppets charged at her, knocking her over. Without missing a beat she was already up on her feet again, playing with the flying dolls.

"You wouldn't by chance be from the Skeleton Town?" Laxus asked, and she nodded. When she finally caught one of the dolls, she smiled and hugged it to her chest, enjoying the feel of its magic humming against her skin.

"'Skeleton Village'?" Fried asked, the group stopping when the blond turned and stared at the little girl, a strange sympathetic look in his eyes.

"A Blood Dragon attacked it 15 years ago… I've heard rumors and stories about its destruction."

"I thought it was just a campfire story?" Bickslow asked, looking at his leader. "I remember hearing stories growing up."

"They weren't just stories… it was supposed to be the most brutal and sadistic massacres in history. There were no survivors…." The dragonslayer explained, causing the group to look down at the young girl that frolicked and played with the possessed dolls, who had completely forgotten about them and focused all her energy on the flying dolls. "At least, I thought there were no survivors."

"She can't be from that village, though. She only looks around 10 years old." Evergreen reasoned.

"If she's been living in this forest for 5 or so years, it makes sense that she would be malnourished and have her growth stunted."

"This is interesting and everything… but what do we do about her?" Bickslow asked, returning his gaze to his group. "It was one thing to drop her off in town where her family would find her, but if she has no family…"

"We'll take her to Fairy Tail and have gramps decide. Who knows, maybe she'll get along with the dragonslayers there." Laxus said with a shrug, starting to walk again in their previous direction.

"What's your name, kid?" Bickslow asked, making his puppets return to the group and float around him again. The girl frowned, not being able to chase the little creatures again, but almost immediately started grinning again.

"Kibo."

"'Kibo'? That's an odd name for a girl." Evergreen told her.

1.

"A survivor of the Skeleton Village?" Makarov asked his grandson, watching the young girl play with Natsu and Happy. She was a very agile and energetic girl, knocking Natsu over several times and bumping into others by accident over and over again. "I was under the impression that there were no survivors."

"I was, too." Laxus told him, and then shrugged. "Whatever. Do what you want with her."

"You don't care what happens to her?" Makarov asked, annoyed when he didn't receive a response from the young man, instead just the sight of his back as he retreated from the group.

"I can't wait to take her shopping." Lucy swooned near the young girl, several other female wizards around her doing the same. The Thunder Legion had left almost immediately after arriving, simply dropping off the girl and grabbing a new mission from the job wall.

"Your fire is pretty!" The girl squealed, causing Natsu to smile confidently and start showing off his fire magic, much to the dismay of nearby guild members that got caught in the crossfire.

2.

"Why do I have to take a test?" She asked, looking up at the blue-haired woman with wide and innocent eyes. They were both sitting in the Fairy Tail library, which was completely empty, and the sun was shining brightly outside. Kibo could hear the sounds of laughter from outside, making her more antsy.

"We just want to know what you know. Don't worry if you don't know the answers to the questions- even Natsu failed it when he took it." Levy told her, whispering the last part and causing the girl to giggle. "Whenever you're ready, you can start. I'll be keeping track of your time, but don't be intimidated by it."

"It sounds boring." Kibo whined, and Levy smiled awkwardly.

"How about I give you a lollipop afterwards?"

Almost immediately the girl picked up her pencil and started writing quickly on the page, marking each answer with incredible speed. "Try to actually answer the questions correctly, though."

"Done. Lollipop?" She asked, only a minute later.

"How about, if you got all of these correctly, I give you two lollipops?" Levy asked, causing the girl to gape at her in disbelief.

"I get _two_ lollipops?"

"Yes. But only if you answered all the questions correctly. Do you want to double check your answers?"

"No. It was easy. Lollipop?" She asked impatiently, surprising the young wizard.

"I'll give you one now, and after I check these answers, only if you got all of them right, will I give you a second one." Levy explained, and the girl nodded, taking the red candy from her hands.

As the wizard began checking the answers with the key, her eyes widened in disbelief. Kiba stared out the window a few feet away, oblivious to Levy's surprise, silently bouncing in her seat and enjoying the sweet treat.

"Why have you been lying to us, Kibo?" Levy asked, causing the young brunette to look at her. The harshness in her words made Kibo pause, unsure how to respond to the change in emotion. "According to this, you're extremely intelligent. In fact you have a better score than _me_. There's no way that you could have guessed on all of these questions. So why are you acting like a 10 year old?"

The younger girl looked at the table, ashamed, sadness in her eyes.

Levy instantly felt guilty, watching the pain that distorted the young girls face. After a few seconds, just as Levy was about to apologize and change the subject, Kibo spoke. "How am I supposed to act?"

The question caught her off guard.

"I haven't been around humans since I was 5. People seem to like it when I act the way I do."

"Some of these questions were based on recent knowledge- there simply was no way to know them unless you learned it in the past 10 years. That means you've have had some level of interaction with humans over the years." Levy explained, trying to make her voice soft and less accusatory.

"I can't tell you what taught me… but I can tell you with absolute truth…" The girl said, looking up at Levy through her tears. "I haven't been around humans in a very, very long time."

3.

Kibo began reading more often, since the wizards she hung out with kept leaving to go on missions. Temporarily, she was living with Levy, who had assigned her several books to read for the next few weeks. She wasn't an official member of Fairy Tail yet, but Makarov said she could join if she stayed for a month and was still interested.

The young brunette found herself sitting in the Guild Hall reading her book, absorbed in the text, when she heard sudden yells and shouts in her direction. When she glanced up, she saw the fiery dragonslayer flying towards her, his back facing her.

"Watch out!" Lucy yelled, watching he scene unfold.

Kibo watched, confused by the random body flying towards her, frozen in place.

Someone suddenly appeared in front of her, knocking Natsu out of the way and saving her from getting some bruises and burns. As she gazed up at the new presence, she recognized the purple and striped fabric. "Watch where you're landing, idiot." Bickslow told the dragonslayer, crossing his arms over his chest and standing over the younger male.

"Sorry!" Natsu yelled, but was instantly side-tracked and pulled into another fight with Gray.

"Thanks." Kibo said, her cheeks slightly pink as the man turned and stuck his tongue out at her.

"No problem. Next time you might want to dodge, though."

"I guess."

"You _guess_?" Bickslow asked, folding his arms over his chest. "He could have hurt you pretty bad, and _you guess_ you could maybe possibly dodge?"

"Yeah." She grinned, knowing full well that he was trying to tease her.

"Bickslow, we're leaving." Fried spoke, causing both of them to look up at the green-haired mage.

"Can I go with you guys?" Kibo asked, causing Bickslow to burst out laughing.

"As if, little 'I guess'." The wizard chastised, moving to rejoin his team. "Take it easy, Kibo."

"Be safe." She told them, watching the Thunder Legion leave the Guild Hall with sparkling eyes.

1.

"So you're an official Fairy Tail wizard, huh?" Bickslow asked, looking skeptically at the girl. She grinned up at him, reminding him of the first time they'd met.

The girl had changed considerably since their first meeting. She was clean, for one, and wearing a cute dress that was green and blue. Her hair was much shorter now, only reaching her shoulders, but was now braided in two French braids. She also acted slightly closer to her age now, giggling less often and standing more 'lady like'. "Yep!"

"Do you know any magic yet?" Fried asked, causing her to chuckle awkwardly.

"Levy is teaching me, but I haven't learned much yet." She admitted. "I've started taking jobs with different wizards, and I was hoping to go on a job with you guys?"

"No way." Evergreen said quickly. "You're too weak to join the Thunder Legion. You'd just slow us down."

"You don't have to be so mean about it." Bickslow told the fairy woman in a hushed voice.

"If I got stronger, would you let me join you?" Kibo asked, getting uneasy looks from all of them.

"Well, perhaps." Fried spoke, watching the girl's face light up in joy.

"Excellent." She said simply, turned, and walked away.

"She's only 12, Evergreen. Give her a break." Bickslow told his team mate after the young girl had walked away.

"Tch, if you like her so much, _you_ do a mission with her." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the puppet man.

"You were a bit harsh, Evergreen. Since Laxus left Fairy Tail, we're supposed to be nice to other wizards." Fried told her, inwardly crying at the memory of his idol.

2.

Later that night, the Thunder Legion found themselves hanging out at the Guild Hall. They didn't socialize with the other wizards very much, but their very presence was signifying their positive change in attitude towards their fellow guild members.

"You guys haven't left yet?" A new voice spoke, Mirajane's sweet voice causing their discussion to cease. The group looked at her, blinking in surprise and confusion. The female wizard stood there, a smile on her face.

"Left for what?" Fried asked.

"The mission with Kibo. I was surprised that you decided to go with her, but I think it's great that you're doing a job with her."

"We never agreed to do a mission with her." Evergreen blurted, causing Mirajane's eyes to widen.

"She said you guys were going with her on a monster hunting mission. I only let her go because I thought you guys would look after her." She explained, causing the group to exchange worried glances.

"Why the hell would she do that?" Evergreen asked, causing the other two wizards to glare at her.

"Because _someone_ said she had to be stronger in order to go on a job with us." Bickslow told her, causing her to become flustered.

"What? You can't possibly blame me for this!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is." Mirajane interrupted, regaining their attention. "Someone needs to go after her- the monster has already hurt a lot of people, and she doesn't have any magic to protect herself. If you guys don't go, I'll send someone else."

"Let's go." Bickslow said, and Fried nodded.

"Seriously? We're doing this?" Evergreen asked, sighing and eventually caving as she saw her teammates walk out the door with a copy of the flier Kibo had taken.

3.

"Here, monster, monster," Kibo said loudly as she walked along the dark trail, ominous shadows lurking and moving in the corners of her eyes. The trees made odd sounds, swaying with the wind and snapping twigs in the dark night. It was foggy, but the sky above her was clear.

She was smiling, excited to be on her first job alone. She'd felt a little bad about lying to Mirajane, but after this mission, she was sure that the Thunder Legion would accept her offer next time. They were so anti-social, no one would realize that she was alone on this mission until it was already over.

After overhearing conversations with Natsu's group about how weak monsters like this were, she figured that it would be a synch.

"Here monster, monster, monster," She spoke again, speaking as if calling out to a lost dog.

The ground below her rumbled.

She could smell a foul odor nearby, getting closer as the shaking ground intensified. When she turned to look behind her, at where she knew the monster was, her eyes could barely make out its form due to the fog. "Death." A deep voice spoke to her, sending chills down her spine.

It was a dark figure, emerging from the shadows, and began rising and getting taller.

When it stopped growing, it stood close to thirty feet tall, effectively towering over the 12 year old girl. "You look tasty." It whispered under its breath, and Kibo wouldn't have caught it if her hearing wasn't so sharp.

It raised its arm, getting to strike down, and she just stood there looking at it. "You're tall…." She whispered, watching the dark and disfigured hand hurl towards her.

But something slammed into her side instead, a new dark figure wrapping his arms around her small body and pulling her out of the way just in time. When they were on the sidelines, safely away from the creature, Bickslow released his grip on her and grabbed her shoulders, crouching down to eyelevel. "We really need to teach you how to dodge things…. Are you hurt?" He asked, looking her up and down for injuries and causing her to blush.

"W-why are you here?" She stuttered, staring at the glowing green eyes behind his mask.

"Why are _you_ here?" He countered, his hands still on her shoulders and keeping a firm grip, on the off chance that she tried to run and join the fight.

"I wanted to prove that I'm strong."

"How does getting yourself killed prove that?"

"I could have handled it." She said, her eyes wandering back to the fight, where Fried had trapped the creature in an enchantment and Evergreen was attacking it.

"Promise me you won't do this again." Bickslow said, shaking her shoulders and causing her to look at her again. "Promise me."

"Why do you care?" She asked, her cheeks still red.

"Because everyone would be sad if you got hurt."

"Even you?"

"Especially me. Now promise me you won't do anything this stupid again."

"I promise."

"Promise what?"

"I promise to never do this again." She said, smiling at him. "You remind me of my brother."

The older man sighed, reaching up and ruffling her hair, causing her braids to become messy and loose.

4.

For the next few months, the Thunder Legion let Kibo tag along with them, slowly getting more and more attached to her. She wasn't particularly strong or useful on missions, given their abilities overpowered hers considerably, but she did learn a lot and made the jobs much more enjoyable.

When Fried discovered that she was actually quite literate and well read, he appreciated her presence considerably more, since his other team mates didn't care for those subjects. Evergreen liked to dress up the young girl in outfits, much to the dismay of Bickslow, who would get mad whenever the Fairy woman tried to dress up the 12 year old in a mini skirt or revealing shirt.

"I've never seen Bickslow so attached to someone before." Evergreen commented one day, her and Fried sitting on a park bench one day. They were watching Bickslow and Kibo buy ice cream, the young girl sitting on his shoulders, and both of them laughing about something they couldn't hear.

"Well it makes sense." Fried said, causing the woman to give him a confused glance. "Bickslow's sisters died when he was young, and her brother died when she was young. It makes sense that they would bond like siblings."

"I guess when you put it that way…" She said, a soft smile tugging at her lips. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, children playing on a playground nearby, live music drifting from a nearby clearing. The day couldn't be any more perfect. "Do you think we'll ever find out about her true past?" Evergreen asked, breathing in the summer air.

"I have no idea." He replied, honestly. "What she says happened to her family doesn't match up with her age… but who knows. She could be telling the truth, and happened across a magical item that froze time for her. I don't think it really matters."

"I suppose you're right." She said with a shrug, smiling when she noticed the two wizards walking towards them, four ice cream cones total in hand.

"Ice cream?" Kibo asked, extending her hand towards Evergreen.

5.

"Aren't they adorable?" Evergreen cooed, looking at the two sleeping wizards on the couch. Bickslow had fallen asleep at a weird angle, his body diagonal and half off the couch, while his head was awkwardly turned with his mouth gaping open. The twelve year old had cuddled up to him, sound asleep, and even looked happy in her sleep.

"Should we wake them?" Fried whispered, and the woman shook her head.

"Let them be. You can sleep in my room tonight, and they can keep this one."

"It can't be comfortable to sleep like that…" Fried whispered, inwardly cringing at the angle of Bickslow's neck.

They were currently on day one of a mission and had checked out two rooms, which were joined by a door. Originally Evergreen and Kibo were going to share the other room while Fried and Bickslow shared this one, but since Kibo and Bickslow looked so cute, the fairy woman decided to change it up. If they woke up they could simply move to the twin bed, while the other remained on the couch, as per the original plan.

When the two wizards had left, Kibo couldn't help but smile.

She knew that Bickslow would never return her feelings, and given their age difference, she understood why. Whatever the circumstances, it didn't keep her from enjoying these rare moments with him.

She had a crush on him. It was as simple as that. She'd read about it in books, and her symptoms matched perfectly.

Due to her abilities, she could sense every body function happening in his body, including the chemicals in his brain being released. She could sense everything in him from his heart pumping blood to the shifting chemicals signaling his deepening sleep state.

Times like this, she couldn't reign in her magical abilities even if she tried. She'd promised herself never to use her magic again, but in times like this, she had to bend her rules a bit. There was only so much she could do to limit her powers, which came so natural to her after years of training, and still so after years of trying to remove the training from her memory.

"Kibo…" He whispered, causing her cheeks to turn pink. His body was warm beneath hers, blood pumping slowly due to his sleeping state, and his arm reached up and wrapped around her, his hand landing on her hip.

He smelled like the flowers they had looked at earlier.

He was warm.

She felt safe in his arms.

He was wonderful.

She never wanted to leave his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _Different_

"So we've been gone for 7 years?" Fried repeated, his group nodding in disbelief. It had been a few hours since they first arrived at the Guild Hall, and the Thunder Legion had resigned to a corner of the pitiful looking building, trying to get a grasp on all of the information they had been bombarded with.

"It's so hard to believe." Evergreen said, her eyes wandering to the other wizards in the room, noticing similar expressions on their guild mates. Most of them had left the Guild Hall to either explore the town or tie up loose ends, but there were a few stragglers that didn't want to leave. Of those wizards, that included the Thunder Legion.

"I wonder what happened to Kibo." Bickslow said, his babies popping out and repeating her name. Macao walked up to them, getting their attention.

"If you're at all curious…" He spoke, standing at the end of the table. "She's become a fine wizard. In fact, she became one of the strongest wizards in this guild after you all left."

"Since all of your strongest wizards were gone, that's not saying much." Evergreen told him, causing him to laugh.

"I guess you have a point… but she's going to be happy that you're back."

"She was 12 when we left, so she's now… 19?" Fried asked, causing the other two wizards to stare at him with wide eyes.

"No way. She can't be that old. What does that say about me?" Evergreen asked, slumping in her seat and crying.

"You didn't age on the island, so it says nothing about you." Fried said, being ignored by the fairy woman who continued balling her eyes out.

"What kind of magic does she use?" Bickslow asked, looking forward to seeing the girl again. He couldn't even imagine what she looked like now, and some part of him didn't want to, fearing that she turned out like Evergreen in his absence.

"She doesn't really focus on using one magic. She uses a variety of them to compliment her martial arts training." Macao told him, causing the two male wizards to give him a quizzical look.

"Martial arts?" They both asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she had a great teacher from the Mermaid Heel Guild."

"Are you guys talking about Kibo?" Romeo asked, walking up to the group with Natsu behind him. Macao nodded at his son.

"Oh yeah, I guess you two didn't do missions together until after they left…."

"Kibo is probably stronger than Natsu at this point. I've never seen her go all out against an opponent before." Romeo said, smiling knowingly at the spark in Natsu's eye.

He hadn't changed.

"Well where is she? I want to fight her!" Natsu said, ready for the challenge and hands blazing already, itching for a fight. The people he usually fought with had already left, and given the awkward and confusing information he'd been trying to understand ever since he got there, he just wanted something simple: punching, fire, kicking, fire, and more punching.

"She should be back today, if I remember right." The shorter wizard said, trying to think back to last he saw her.

"She was _supposed_ to be back yesterday, but you know her. There's no telling when she'll be back." Macao spoke, sighing.

"So you and Kibo have been getting close, huh?" Bickslow asked Romeo, who was weirded out by the look and tone of his voice. Since the short wizard didn't know him very well 7 years ago, he knew even less about him now, and the fact that he couldn't see the older man's eyes made it even creepier.

"I guess. She's the closest to my age out of everyone in Fairy Tail, so we end up getting paired for missions a lot." He said, trying to act nonchalant and putting his hands in his pockets. "Speaking of which…" Romeo said, he eyes locking on a familiar face by the door.

Everyone turned to look at the Guild Hall entrance, the newly returned guild members not recognizing her, but the others smiling at her arrival.

"You were supposed to be back yesterday." Macao barked at her, causing her to laugh awkwardly and scratch the back of her head. "And did you hurt yourself again?"

"Hey, it's not my fault." She said, grinning at him. "There was a small bunny caught in a bear trap, so I tried to get it out, but it turned out that the trap was a trap for another animal, and well, it took a while to get untrapped." She rambled, and her gaze suddenly landed on the newcomers, her eyes widening.

Bickslow recognized her as soon as she started speaking, but it took him a while to comprehend how much she'd changed. Kibo wasn't a girl anymore, she was a full woman, and a beautiful one at that.

Her hair was longer now, reaching her mid back, and slightly curled. She wore only a small amount of make up, but it was enough to accentuate her big brown eyes and soft pink lips. Her clothes were conservative, to Bickslow's relief, but were stylish and cute. She wore a blue mini skirt, but she also wore black leggings and a green t-shirt with a black vest over it.

Bickslow frowned when he noticed the scratches on her soft pale skin, reaching from her left shoulder to her cheek, and that her left arm was bandaged and in a sling. He felt something odd stir inside him, but had no idea what it was.

"You need to be more careful, Kibo. One of these days you're going to come back in a body bag." Macao scolded her, but she wasn't listening anymore, her brain too focused on their visitors. "One of these days you're going to fall off a cliff from chasing a butterfly."

"You're back." She said simply, a grin encompassing her face.

"I thought you promised you weren't going to do stupid things that get you hurt?" Bickslow asked her, causing her to laugh.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Kibo asked, her eyes watery from laughing so much.

"For them, only a day has passed. They've essentially been frozen for the past 7 years." Macao explained, and she chuckled.

"Of course they have." She said, walking towards them. The Thunder Legion stood up, shocked at her appearance, but still gave her rib-crushing hugs and smiles that warmed her heart.

1.

Bickslow's apartment had been cleaned out in his absence, making him not only broke with no belongings, but also homeless. He'd been with Kibo when he found out, so upon learning he had nowhere else to go, she offered to let him stay at her place for a while.

They'd been talking for hours, sitting on her couch facing each other and speaking animatedly, his 'babies' coming out on occasion and echoing his words. She always loved to see his puppets, ever since the first time they met.

"So I hear you're strong enough to take Natsu down." He finally said, causing her to chuckle awkwardly.

"I don't know about that. Romeo has a tendency to exaggerate my strength."

"If you didn't get injured so often, I'll bet you'd be a lot stronger." He said, commenting on her arm. He was relaxed, sipping at his tea with his legs crossed beneath him, and hadn't felt so comfortable in a long time. When she was younger he had to keep some level of guard up, watching his language and playing the 'big brother' role, but now they only had a couple years difference. They were just two people enjoying a cup of tea together.

Her apartment was quaint. Small, but just the right size for one person. A kitchen, 1 bedroom, bathroom, and living room. The decorations were antique and tribal looking, appearing to date back hundreds of years. He could smell the faint scent of incense.

"I don't really care about being strong… just strong enough to protect the people I care about." She said, blushing and looking down at the mug in her hands. They had both changed into comfier clothes, consisting of sweat pants and loose t-shirts. Since his belongings were gone, he had to borrow the clothes from her. He wondered in the back of his mind if they were her boyfriend's, since they were obviously way too large for her, but decided not to ask.

"It must have been tough when we all disappeared." He commented, and she looked down again.

"Yeah… it sucked." She said bluntly, looking up at him again. "I had a crush on you back then, to make it worse."

"Evergreen told me. I felt really bad about it." He admitted, causing her to laugh. She seemed to do that a lot, even after all these years, and he couldn't help but love the sound of it.

"And I thought I was so great at hiding it."

"Well, you _were_ twelve." He reminded her. "You should have seen me at that age. I flirted with every girl within a 10 mile radius."

She smiled, trying to imagine him as a 12 year old without the tattoos, died hair, and radioactive looking eyes. It was proving difficult, only resulting in a mental image of a little 12 year old boy with crazier tattoos, hair, and eyes.

He had planned not to ask her, but given the topic in conversation, decided to bring it up. "So have you been seeing anyone?"

"Dating?" She asked, and shook her head. "No, I don't really date."

"At all?" He asked, surprised.

"You sound surprised."

"Well, I figured with having guy clothes, you've at least had a boyfriend or two. But no dating at all?"

"I've had a friend or two crash on my couch, and a few of them have left some articles of clothing, but I've never hooked up with anyone. I mean, sure I've gone out on a few dinner dates… but I've never really met someone that I liked enough to have a relationship with." She explained, suddenly feeling awkward.

"It's not because of me, is it?"

"Tch," She snorted. "If it was, it would make things easier." She said, suddenly sour and looking out the dark window.

The awkward memory of past attempts to have sex came to mind, and she couldn't help but frown. Because of her sensitivity to other people's bodies, she could literally sense _everything_ that was happening in their bodies, and it was distracting to say the least. Digesting food, organs pumping blood, bones squeaking against cartilage…. When she added her own arousal into the mix, it caused her magic to act out of her control and cause her partner pain.

She couldn't even get passed kissing before she lost control.

"Someone didn't try to take advantage of you, did they?" He asked, confused by her suddenly change in demeanor, going from light hearted and happy to sad and angry so quickly.

"No, nothing like that." She assured him, trying to push the memories to the back of her mind. "Are you going to start dating now that you've returned?"

"Once I get my own place, probably." He said with a shrug. "I worked so often in the past, most girls dumped me for being away all the time. But it was nice to come home to someone."

"That does sound nice."

"So… you don't date at all?" He asked again, causing a sweat drop to form on her head.

"Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Because you're hot." The wizard said, causing her to laugh. "How are guys not climbing all over you?"

"I never said I don't have offers." She said with a smile. "I just don't enjoy dating." Kibo said with a shrug, finally setting her empty mug down on the coffee table.

"How do you not enjoy getting free food and sex?"

"Can we just drop it?"

"No, because now I have to know. I am genuinely confused." Bickslow said, copying her and setting his mug on the table next to hers. He fixed his posture, shifting slightly to lean forward and continue his questioning. "I've met ugly people that don't like dating, I've met attractive people that enjoy dating, but I've never met an attractive person that didn't like dating to at least some extent."

"It's just not fun for me." She shrugged, her face beat red at his inquisitive nature. He had never been so forward with her before, and she wasn't sure if he was aware of how close he was getting to her, or doing it on purpose just to see her reaction.

"Have you tried dating girls? Maybe you're gay."

"I've dated guys, girls, and even a transsexual."

"And nothing? You felt nothing with them?"

"I didn't say that."

"So what about dating don't you like?"

"A-all of it." She stammered, for once trying to focus on the inside of his body to distract her, but finding it strangely complimentary to her feelings. The sound of his heart pumping blood to the rest of his organs and the overall natural sound of his body calmed her nerves, making her feel as safe as she used to feel in his arms.

"What are you thinking about right now?" He asked, noticing her eyes glaze over and focus on his shoulder, probably trying to ignore their proximity.

He was cruel sometimes, and he knew it, but he had a nagging curiosity about her. He wanted to be close to her, and although he acknowledged that part of it was attraction, part of it was just being comfortable around the young girl. To him, she was still a little girl he found in the forest and took home.

Despite his fondness for her, he used her crush on him to his advantage. He was very purposeful in his movements and words, his eyes locked on specific body parts that would indicate if she was attracted to him or not, and whether she was lying. In his previous relationships, he'd been accused of being manipulative and evil for doing things like this, but he enjoyed it too much to stop.

When he'd gotten to a certain point, he watched her shut down. Her body relaxed, her breathing started to slow, and her eyes wouldn't look at his. "What are you thinking about right now?" He asked again, leaning back slightly so that his face was only a foot away from hers, and keeping his voice low and smooth.

"Do you like pizza?" She asked, grinning, and causing him to blink at her in surprise.

"You're thinking about pizza?" He asked in disbelief, baffled by her change in topic.

"There's an awesome place, Pizzario's, that does delivery. They opened up a few months ago and they have awesome pepperoni pizza."

2.

"You two seem close." Evergreen commented, referring to him and Kibo, causing Bickslow to shrug.

"She's letting me crash at her place until I raise enough money to rent another apartment."

"At least you're not in debt." Evergren cried, thinking back to her massive debt with the girl's dormitory that she lived at. Just like the other girls that had disappeared for 7 years, they all owed rent for the time they were gone, and each of them had been fighting each other to get the high paying jobs.

As soon as she started crying, Bickslow's attention turned to Fried, who was also upset but at least had the decency to not cry about it. "Luckily, my stuff was put in a storage locker, but to get access to it I have to pay the bill…"

"You're homeless too, then?" Bickslow asked, and he nodded.

"I had enough money on me to rent a hotel room last night, but Macao is letting me stay with him until I get enough money to afford a new apartment. Apparently some of the other guild members are in the same situation."

"I've never seen the job wall so empty before." Bickslow commented, sad that he had slept in that morning instead of getting here earlier to grab a flyer.

"The guild hasn't been getting as much work since we left, and with the influx of wizards, it makes sense that jobs would be scarce."

"Kibo left super early this morning to get a job flier… now I see why." Bickslow slumped over the table, annoyed at having nothing to do.

3.

"The chef dropped a kitchen knife on your foot? How are you not in agonizing pain? You're not even limping!" Bickslow asked, nearing the end of his long lecture. Kibo had started ignoring him somewhere after the first minute of his speech, and after 5 minutes of his rambling about her safety, she was thinking about what to have for dinner again. "I don't even think you're really injured. You're just doing it for attention." He said, staring at her, and glaring when he noticed that she wasn't paying attention any more. It had been almost 10 minutes now, and they were close to her home, where she was planning to cook the fish in her fridge.

To see if she really did have an injured foot, he stepped on it, causing her to cry out and fall sideways, hitting her head on a trashcan.

"What the hell was that about!?" She asked, sitting on the ground with her hand on her forehead and glaring at him. There was a small cut there, and when Bickslow kneeled over and moved her hand, saw that it was bleeding.

"I thought you were lying about the foot thing."

"Well, now you opened up my stitches. Thanks." She said, referring to her shoe now slowly soaking up blood. Bickslow's face turned white beneath his helmet, not expecting so much blood. The fact that she wasn't crying or showing any sign of pain was unnerving and confused him as well, since he'd never met a woman other than Erza that wouldn't complain about a minor injury. "I have a high tolerance for pain." She answered before he could ask, and tried to stand up, but then gasped in surprise when he picked her up bridal style. "Put me down."

"Nah. You shouldn't be walking on that foot."

"I told you, I have a high tolerance for pain. It's not that far to my apartment, anyway."

"Then you shouldn't be bothered by my carrying you the short distance."

"Put me down." She repeated, but he just stuck his tongue out at her, showing off his Fairy Tail symbol and continuing to walk in their original direction.

Kibo's eyes suddenly locked with a man passing by them on the street.

Her breath caught in her throat.

 _It couldn't be him._

His green eyes had flashed in her direction for only an instant, but she was sure that it was him. It had been 20 years, but she was sure that it was _his_ eyes.

Before she could jump out of Bickslow's arms to chase after him, she turned her head and realized he was gone, unable to sense him anymore. She sniffed the air, trying to catch his scent, but his disappearance was just as quick as his appearance.

"You okay?" Bickslow asked, noticing the woman looking around them, as if searching for someone.

"I thought…" She started to say, but stopped herself. Saying that she saw her brother's ghost sounded crazy even in her head. "I thought I saw someone I recognized."

"Oh? Who?"

"It wasn't them, so it's not important. How do you feel about mac n cheese?"

"You really like food, don't you?"

4.

"Wendy! Where's Wendy!?" Fried yelled as he entered the Guild Hall, causing everyone to look up from what they were doing and stare at him, gasping at the scene before them. "Evergreen was hurt badly. I found her in the park like this." The wizard spoke, carrying his unconscious comrade on his arm. With the help of the other wizards, they set her down on an empty table and cleared enough space for Wendy to look at her.

Bickslow and Fried were at her side, shock and anger filling them, watching their close friend lie bleeding to death on the table.

"What happened?!" Many people asked, and were met with few answers. Fried didn't know anything about the attack, other than it involved blades, as there had been several in the area he had found her.

"Her heart stopped!" Wendy said, moving her hands from hovering above the woman's chest cavity to giving compressions.

"Is she going to be okay!?" Bickslow asked, watching the small girl work, a panicked expression on her face.

Wendy tilted Evergreen's head back and breathed into her mouth, using her wind magic to amplify the usefulness of her technique, and then go back to chest compressions.

Kibo watched, her eyes wide, able to sense the life slipping away from the woman's body.

She was like a sister to her.

She couldn't let her die.

But she's promised to never use her magic again….

After a second of debating with herself, heart beating wildly in her chest, Kibo finally ran forward, pushing people out of the way, including Wendy. "Kibo-" Bickslow started to say, but stopped when he say her hands glowing.

"Blood magic healing technique: circulation," She said, causing Evergreen's body to start twitching and shaking. "Seal." She said after a second, causing all the blood that had left her body to return to it, causing the surrounding wizards to jump back in surprise, and after a few more seconds the woman's eyes shot open and mouth gaped open.

Kibo gently pressed her hand against her shoulder, keeping her flat.

"I know it's scary, and it hurts, but you'll be okay." Kibo spoke, but her words were drowned out by the screams of the fairy woman, who felt her skin literally being sewn back together and ancient blood magic coursing through her veins.

After about a minute, Evergreen fell unconscious, but her breathing and heart began slowing down to a normal pace. The Guild Hall became eerily quiet, only the sounds of panting and rapid breaths filling the tense air.

"Where did you learn that, Kibo?" Wendy asked after a moment, looking up at the woman in surprise. "That's more advanced than anything that I learned."

"Is she going to be okay?" Fried asked Wendy, still shaking from the earlier events. Evergreen's shrieks and yells from only moments ago had shaken everyone to the core, making them silent and wide eyed. Wendy looked at Kibo for an answer to Fried's question, since she wasn't the one to heal her.

"She'll be fine." The wizard finally spoke, one of her glowing hands still hovering over her belly while the other pressed firmly against her shoulder. "She's almost fully healed, and even though she'll be a bit sore for the next day… she'll live."

"Since when do you know healing magic, Kibo?" Macao asked, causing her to look up at him. "That was amazing what you just did…"

"I don't plan to use this magic ever again. Wendy is the healer, not me." She said, and after another moment, removed her hands from Evergreen's body.

"You're not tired?" Wendy asked, noticing that the woman didn't look drained after using the spell.

"Good job." Bickslow said, wrapping his arm around and pulling her close, so that he could ruffle her hair. "That's the Thunder Legion for you."

5.

As soon as they got home, she hid in her room, sitting in the corner and covering herself in blankets and pillows. She covered her ears, trying not to sense so many things at once, but it did little to help.

She could sense everyone in the building, and it was driving her insane. Digesting stomachs, chemical reactions, beating hearts, lungs absorbing oxygen, sexual organs swelling, cartilage cracking, joints twisting-

"Oi, you okay?" Bickslow asked, knocking on her door. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, being able to sense him better than anyone else, given their proximity. The seith mage had accompanied her home, and after the silent walk, had closed the front door behind them. After a minute of not hearing anything, he pulled his hood off and leaned against the door frame to her room.

He was dehydrated. Stress chemicals were flowing through him.

"If you feel bad for not telling us, we're not mad or anything. When we met you, we figured that you had some skeletons in your closet that you wouldn't tell us about. It's okay."

She felt overwhelmed.

His heart was beating faster. His breathing was slow.

His babies were flying near him, and repeated the words 'it's okay'.

"Can you say something? I'm worried about you."

"Worried, worried," His babies echoed. "Why are you hiding?"

Silence.

"Come on," He said, and banged his head against the wall.

She always talked to him.

Always.

Even when she was upset with him, she still talked to him, and they always worked it out. It's like she couldn't not talk to him; even something as stupid as the weather, when she was a kid, she would always talk to him. To the point of being annoying as hell, she couldn't shut up around him.

And she always had a smile on her face, even if it was just bubbling beneath the surface, waiting for a reason to come out and shine.

"Worried, worried," The babies echoed.

After another minute of silence, he finally twisted her door knob, walking into the dark room. Despite the darkness, he could see her soul hiding in the corner, covered in blankets and pillows.

He found the light switch, lighting up the room so that he could see her better.

The room was a lot less decorated for the living room, but on her dresser, he saw a picture from 7 years ago. It was of the Thunder Legion, a selfie version using his old camera.

"You still have this." He commented, temporarily distracted by the old photo. "That was a fun day."

She squeezed her eyes further shut, still hiding beneath the blankets, and pressed her hands harder against her ears.

Her 'sense' didn't rely soley on her ears, eyes, or even nose for that matter. It was another sense entirely, involving her magic that she couldn't shut off.

But the closer he got, the more she could feel.

"Are you asleep?" He asked, taking a seat in front of her.

She tried to take a calming breath.

 _Relax._

The grip on her ears relaxed, her eyes blinked open, despite still being covered. Light was causing the white sheet to glow.

"You're not naked under there, are you?"

"No." She muttered, causing the wizard to smile.

"Finally, something. I was worried that you'd died under there or something."

"Worried, worried," His babies, echoed.

Bickslow was calm.

She tried to emulate it. Copy his slow breathing, relaxed limbs….

"I… haven't used the spell in a long t-time." She stuttered after a minute.

"I'm guessing that it has some kind of side effect?" He asked. He'd actually wondered if that was the case earlier, and was why he was being extra pushy with getting information from her, to make sure that she was physically okay. Well, part of the reason. Every time she shut him down, for whatever the reason, he had the inexplicable urge to go out of his way to open the door again and find out what she was hiding.

She started shifting beneath the blankets, and pulled them down, revealing her face to him.

"Your eyes are red." He commented, smiling. "That's it? You don't like using the spell because it changes your eye color?"

She smiled, chuckling. "I didn't even know it did that."

"Well, now you match the rest of the Thunder Legion." He said, loving the sight of her smile again.

"You're pushy." She commented.

"And you're extra secretive. You used to tell me everything."

"You mean back when I was twelve and had a crush on you?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah! Go back and be twelve again."

"I think it would be just as easy for you to go back in time to when you left."

"But I said it first." He said, and bopped her on the nose, causing her to scrunch up her face at him.

6.

"What if I took you out on a date?" He asked as they entered the Guild Hall, which was already packed full of wizards scrambling to get a flier from the wall. Fights were already starting, although with Fairy Tail, there was no telling if it was about the limited jobs or just for fun.

"Would you drop it? I don't like dating, alright?"

"I promise to be a gentleman, no funny business. I'll pay for dinner and everything, all you have to do is show up and have fun."

"You're broke, how are you going to pay for anything?" She asked, causing him to stammer and scratch his head as she went ahead and started looking on the board for jobs. "Seriously? All of them gone?"

"What!?" Evergreen screeched in her ear, causing her to jump from the loud sound. "I got up at the break of dawn only to have all of the jobs taken already!?"

"What have you been doing since the 'break of dawn'? That was hours ago." Kibo asked, frowning as she rubbed her sore ear.

"I don't just wake up this beautiful." She said, flipping her hair back and posing.

"Well, while you're being 'pretty', I'm going to head over to Mermaid Heel and see if I can get a gig with them."

"'Mermaid Heel'?" She asked, blinking at her.

"It's an all women guild. My teacher is in it, so they sometimes throw me a job if they're overbooked." She explained, causing the woman to get a creepy look in her eye.

"Introduce me! I need work!" She yelled, grabbing Kibo's shoulders and shaking her wildly.

"We can do that? Go to other guilds for work?" Lucy asked Gray, both of whom had overheard the conversation between the two women.

"Kibo has a special situation." Macao spoke, answering the blond. "Most guilds won't let you do work with them unless you have their emblem, but since Kibo was specially trained by their Guild Master, she'll sometimes do jobs with them when there's nothing worthwhile here."

1.

"Hey Romeo, do you know what kind of guys Kibo has dated?" Bickslow asked, walking over to the youngester's table and sitting down, completely interrupting his conversation with Warren.

"Why do you want to know?" He retorted, crossing his arms and looking at the older wizard skeptically.

"I want to set her up on a date with an awesome guy, but I don't know what type she goes for."

"That's not a good idea." Warren told him, slightly annoyed at having their conversation interrupted so abruptly. "She hates dating."

"Yeah, but do you know why?"

"No, she's pretty vague about it." The telepath admitted.

"Neither do I. She won't tell me."

"So why set her up?" Romeo asked, confused by him.

"She's like a little sister to me, and I want her to be happy. So I'm going to set her up with an awesome guy that will make her happy."

"She gets asked out all the time, and always turns them down. I don't think that's going to work." Warren said, and Bickslow looked at him, suddenly wondering why he knew so much about her. He understood why Romeo would, since they were close in age, but Warren was at least 10 years older than her.

"How do you know so much about her?"

"I have been working with her for 7 years. We've done a lot of jobs together."

"And that's all?"

"Fine… I may have asked her out, and she shot me down. She was really nice about it, though."

"So your opinion is biased." Bickslow stated, causing the telepath to sulk.

"What about you? Have you ever asked her out?"

"Me? No, of course not! Girls are gross." He said, his cheeks slightly red at the accusation.

"Good. You're not biased. Now tell me everything you know about everyone she's ever dated."

"You're really creepy, dude."

2.

"Your date with Natsu is in one hour." Bickslow announced, causing the woman to look up at him in surprise, not expecting such exuberance upon entering her apartment. The man was standing there, a dress in his hand, and staring at her as she closed the front door behind her.

"The dragonslayer?"

"Yeah, now move, move, move," He said, grabbing her and rushing her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. When he realized he'd forgotten to actually hand her the dress, he opened the door again, threw it at her, and then closed it again. "Get in the shower already, woman. You've got 58 minutes left."

"But I don't want to go out on a date."

"Do you want to make Natsu cry? Because if you don't show up, he's going to cry."

"I don't think I've ever seen him cry."

"Well, if you stand him up, he will. Now come on, Lucy has had all day to prepare him for this date, and you only have 57 minutes. Hop, hop." He clapped, smirking when he heard the water running over her annoyed grunts and mumbling.

3.

"So, uh… How's it going, Natsu?" She asked awkwardly, standing next to him in a cute red and black dress. He was dressed in a surprisingly nice pair of black slacks and button-down shirt, along with clean looking face and hair. She didn't recall him ever looking so… clean.

Even his skin was shiny.

"It's going good… uh…" He said, awkwardly trying to remember her name.

"My name is Kibo."

"Right. I knew that. I guess we should get going." The pink-haired boy said, and started walking towards the direction of the restaurant, the brunette at his side.

"So what do we have planned?"

"Dinner, movie… walk in the park?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Sounds like fun. What movie?"

"Um…" He dug into the pocket of his pants, pulling out two movie tickets. "Lucy picked it out…. 'Juliet +'. It's a romantic comedy." He said, and then put the tickets back in his pocket.

"Do you like those kinds of movies?"

"Not really, but I can watch pretty anything and be entertained to some extent." He said with a shrug, causing her to chuckle.

"Personally, I'm a fan of horror films. Have you seen the new 'Jeepers Creepers' movie?"

"It's already out!?" He exclaimed, eyes wide.

"It premiered last night." She said, happy at his exuberant nature.

"We should- I mean, uh… Do you want to see it? We could probably trade in these movie tickets for it, unless you really want to see this movie, which-"

"Let's go see Jeepers Creepers." She interrupted him, causing him to grin from ear to ear.

"Ya know, I thought this was going to be boring from the way Lucy described it, but you seem okay, Biko."

"'Kibo'." She corrected. "You've been on dates before, right?"

"No, not really. I never really saw the point in them."

"I'm your first date, huh? I'm honored." She said, and intertwined their arms together for their nightly stroll to the restaurant.

"You know we're being followed, right?" He whispered quietly in her ear, and she laughed, nodding.

4.

"I can't see anything!"

"Shh, they'll hear us!"

"Get your hand away from there!" Lucy whispered, albeit loudly, before punching him in the back of the head.

"I can't believe Natsu is going out on a date." Erza said nearby, and the other wizards hiding in the bushes nodded.

"Our little guy is growing up." Gray added.

"You guys are creepy." Romeo told them.

"You're one to talk." Lucy snapped back. "Aaaw, they're locking arms!"

"Sounds like they're seeing Jeepers Creepers tonight." Gajeel said, causing Lucy to turn and stare at him with a terrified expression.

"That's a horrible date movie! What the hell is Natsu thinking?!"

"Shhh!"

"You 'shhhhhhhhh'!"

5.

They sat in the dark movie theater, and although they tried to focus on the movie, the eyes of their entire guild were boring holes into the back of their heads, making it extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm going to get a snack… do you want anything?" Kibo asked Natsu, who looked up at her just as a character screamed and hurt his sensitive ears.

"Refill?" He asked, smiling and handing her his empty bowl of popcorn.

"I'll be right back." She whispered, and awkwardly left the movie theater, ignoring the Fairy Tail wizards that tried to hide their positions and blend into the darkness. When she reached the lit hallway, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It was a medium sized theater, floor and walls various shades of bright red, and movie posters on each wall.

This was, by far, the most stressful date she'd ever been on. She liked Natsu, he was cute and energetic and had a good heart, but the constant eyes of all their friends and comrades made it awkward as hell.

"Refill, please."

"One dollar." He said, and she pulled out the money, along with extra for gummy worms.

The thought occurred to her, that she had never really hung out with a dragonslayer before. She'd always avoided them, thinking that if they were raised by dragons, they'd be like the dragon that attacked her village.

But Natsu seemed nice.

He didn't have an evil bone in his body. Violent and energetic as hell, but not mean.

When the man handed her the popcorn, she looked up at him, and her eyes widened. She blinked, trying to register if it was the same man she saw in the street the other day. "You… look a lot like someone I know."

"Your brother, perhaps?" He asked, smiling. His dark hair was slicked back, his green eyes shining brilliantly at her, and a cocky smirk tugged at his lips. "You know, I used to have a sister… she ended up being a filthy dragonslayer. You wouldn't be her, would you?"

She felt a shiver run down her spine, the sliminess of his words making her shudder. "My mistake." She said quickly, grabbed the popcorn and gummy worms, and walked quickly back to the movie.

When she sat down, she handed the popcorn to him, and stared blankly at the screen, her mind racing. She didn't even notice Natsu stretch and put an arm around her shoulders.

It took her about ten minutes to realize that he was so close to her, and she only noticed it because of his body heat.

 _You know, I used to have a sister… she ended up being a dragonslayer._ The words echoed and repeated in her mind, and she started to wonder if she had imagined the entire thing.

Even as the credits started rolling, she was just sitting there, staring at the screen. "You okay?" Natsu asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "Biko?" He asked, and she finally snapped out of her daze to look at him. "The movie's over."

"Oh… what did you think of it?"

"I liked the first one better." He said with a shrug, and she smiled uneasily. "You seemed kind of… out of it, when you got back from getting popcorn."

"Sorry." She apologized, and blushed when they realized how close their faces were.

He stood up, removing his arm from her, but reaching his hand to her instead.

"Do you want to go home, or go for a walk…?"

"A walk sounds nice." She said, smiling, and accepted his hand.

As they left the theater, she kept an eye out for her brother, but couldn't find him. Now that it was so late, there was no one at the concession stand, and everyone was either leaving or cleaning up the theater.

He was warm on the cold night, so she found herself walking particularly close to him. Just like him, she could hear the whispers and sounds of their guild, and would sometimes giggle when they said something funny. Natsu caught on pretty quick that she could hear them too, but instead of ruining it for the both of them, they silently decided to mess with their friends as much as possible.

"We should fight." Natsu announced loudly, causing Lucy to panic and have to be held down by Bickslow and Elfman.

"How about another time? This dress isn't good for fighting. How about we make out instead?" She asked, causing the guys to gasp at her forwardness and cheer Natsu on. Their eyes were locked, and it was already becoming difficult to stay in character.

"Nah, these clothes aren't very good for making out." The pink-haired man replied, looking down at his clothing, and causing all of their friends to freak out.

"What about sex? That requires no clothes. Problem solved." She stated simply.

Even more reactions resulted. They didn't even need their good hearing to know that they were there now, but they both continued the game nonetheless, acting like they couldn't hear them. "Sure, but I've never done it before… will you be gentle?"

"Sorry, I only do rough. Guess that plan is shot."

"Darn."

For the people that were catching on to what they were doing, it was hilarious to watch the other guild members react so strongly to their conversation, namely Lucy and Bickslow, who had set them up. Erza was one of the few that was believing the conversation, and she was close to jumping out and beating the crap out of both of them.

"Does Natsu even know what sex is?" Gray suddenly asked the others, and the wizards froze, unsure if he did.

"Of course he does. He's a man." One of them argued, and for a minute they all bickered, trying to figure out if anyone had confirmed he knew or not.

"Uh, guys, they're gone." Gajeel pointed out a few minutes later, causing the wizards to further freak out and panic.

6.

"I wish I could have seen their faces." Kibo laughed when they were a good distance away, having run a good half mile before stopping. Natsu was laughing, too, holding his stomach as he bent forward.

"That-was-great." He said between laughs.

"So Lucy pushed you into this date, huh?"

"Yeah. She got really into it, too. I think she had a heart attack when I mentioned fighting you."

"I think our entire guild had a heart attack. Did you hear Bickslow's scream when I mentioned sex? I almost broke character a few times back there."

"So you and Bickslow, huh? Romeo mentioned you had a crush on him back in the day." He asked, beginning to calm down from the running and laughter, but a smile remained on his face. They were alone for the first time all night, and as they started walking again, they found the other's presence comfortable.

"Yeah, I used to like him… but he's been so weird since he got back. I can't tell if he likes me, wants to be my big brother, or just play mind games on me."

"The guy creeps me out personally, but he's also a member of Fairy Tail. He's a good guy."

"Anyone in Fairy Tail is automatically a good guy in your book?"

"Well, except Gray. He's an ass hole." He said, causing her to laugh.

"So are you and Lucy a thing?"

"Who the hell knows." He said, waving his arms exasperatedly. "She somehow loses her clothes on every mission, shoves her boobs in my face and then yells at me for being a pervert, wants to do every mission with me, but then at the end of the day she claims to have no interest in me. And then she sets me up with you."

"Why are people so weird?" She asked him, causing him to laugh.

"Maybe Lucy and Bickslow should hook up, and they'll realize just how weird and confusing they are." He said, and they both laughed at the mental image, trying to picture them together.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked suddenly, and they both heard the group of wizards nearby, finding them again.

"Yeah, sure."

"You were raised by a dragon, right?"

"Yeah, Igneel. He's basically my dad."

"What was he like?" She asked, and he hummed, recalling his childhood.

"He was tough, but he was also nice, caring… an overall great dad." He said, grinning from ear again, a softness on his features. "I miss him."

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "All of the dragons disappeared on the same day, July 7th." After a few minutes of walking in silence, he reached out and held her hand, causing their friends to swoon and coo at them. "Have you ever met a dragon?"

"Once…" She said, and took her hand away, putting it back in her pocket. Her gaze met the starry night sky above them. "The one I met wasn't as nice as yours, though."

"Natsu, abort topic, abort topic. I repeat, abort." Bickslow whispered, causing the others to hush him. Natsu overheard his pleas, but didn't know what to make of it, wondering why Kibo had suddenly started looking so sad.

"He was a blood dragon, and he killed my entire village."

"What?" He asked, stopping. "A blood dragon?"

"He used the villagers as puppets to worship him. When he was done, he slaughtered them." She said, her voice soft.

"I'm so sorry." He said, looking at the ground.

"It was a long time ago. I'm sorry for making things awkward."

"Don't worry about it. I love awkward." He said, instantly cheering up and putting his hands behind his head. "Are you sure you don't want to fight?"

7.

"'Sex requires no clothes, problem solved!'!" Bickslow quoted after Natsu had left, causing the woman to grin. "Do you offer sex to every guy on the first date!?"

"I wish I had a tape recorder for your reaction. It was priceless."

"You did that just to mess with me!?" He yelled, waving his arms in the air animatedly.

"Well yeah. You guys weren't exactly subtle. What, was the entire guild there?" She asked as she made her way to her bedroom, ready to change into pajamas for the night.

"Did you have a good time, at least?" Bickslow asked, trying to calm down as the door to her room closed. His arms were crossed, foot tapping, and electrifying eyes locked on a nearby statue of an elephant.

"Yeah, Natsu's a nice guy. "

"Would you go on a second date with him?"

"I told you, I don't like dating."

"But you just said you had a great time with him!"

"I also said that I don't like dating. Why are you obsessed with getting me laid?"

"Sex isn't the only thing that results from dating. You also find a person that you can connect with on an emotional level, feel safe around, and share your life with them." He explained, causing the woman to pause after slipping into her pajama pants. "I don't want you to miss out on love."

"I didn't know you were such a romantic." She admitted after a moment, regaining her thoughts and continuing to change.

"Don't get me wrong, sex is great, oh man is it great…" He said, and his sentence drifted off, causing her to scoff. "But, uh, it's not the only thing that matters."

Her thoughts, for the first time since the movie, wandered back to her brother at the theater. 'Did I imagine that…?' She silently wondered, putting away the dress that Bickslow had chosen for her. When she went to put it back in the closet, however, she found that most of her clothes were on the floor.

"Why are all my clothes on the floor, Bickslow?"

"I had to find you the perfect outfit for tonight, and that required looking at your every article of clothing."

"Natsu's right. You are creepy."

"Oh come on, don't be like that. If I was a girl, it wouldn't be weird at all."

"What makes it weird is that you went through my clothes without me here, and without my permission." She explained, and finally opened her bedroom door, stepping forward only to walk into the large man's chest. Her face was red as she pushed him back.

"Sorry. Ice cream?" He asked, suddenly holding up a small container of ice cream, and causing her to give him a weird look. "What, you loved ice cream as a kid. Don't be mad at me? Please?" Bickslow pleaded, and his babies repeated his plea as he did puppy dog eyes, and to make it worse, his bottom lip _quivered._

"Fine. Give me the ice cream."

"You forgive me?"

"Yes, I forgive you."

"Woohoo!" He cheered, and pulled her into a hug, smothering her through the annoyed sounds she was making in attempt to escape.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Ice Cream Fixes Everything_

She kept seeing her brother in random places. Every time she tried to confront him, he'd disappear.

"Hey, Kibo," Makarov spoke one day, causing her to stray from her group and approach the old man.

"What's up?"

"A strange man was here yesterday, asking about you." He spoke, watching her reaction carefully.

"What did he look like?"

"Greasy hair, bright green eyes, average height. Is he a friend of yours?" He asked, noting her expression turn sour.

"I thought I was hallucinating him, to be honest. I've been seeing him every where, but whenever I've approached him, he'd disappear."

"Who is he?"

"I think he's my brother…. He looks like him, at least, but it doesn't make sense because he died 20 years ago."

"Is there a chance that he survived, like you?"

"He was injured severely last I saw him…" She said, trying to recall, and grimacing at the memory. There was so much death that day, and the following days, she hated recalling it. She shook her head. "He was sliced in half and thrown to the side like a lump of potatoes. I doubt he survived."

"Is it possible that this person just looks like your brother?"

"He knows things about me that only my brother would know..." She said, and found herself staring at a patch on the ceiling, where a small spider's web had started to appear. "Those screams…."

-1.

"Kibo, keep running, don't stop." Her mother told her, pulling at the little girl's hand, when suddenly her older brother scooped up the 4 year old in his arms. He was only 6 years older than her, but he'd been born with an unusually large body, giving him the appearance of a 15 year old.

The air smelled of gun powder, magic, and death.

The small family had barely managed to escape, running away from the blood and carnage as fast as they could. When the dragon had switched from controlling the village to hunting them down and killing them, he'd relinquished control over their bodies. As the humans ran in all directions, he had an all-he-could-eat buffet.

Their screams could be heard from miles around, forever haunting the mountain side in a never ending loop of terror. It would take another hundred years before the vegetation was strong enough to cover the town and let the souls move on. "Don't look back," Her father said, his panicked eyes locking with his daughter's, who was looking over her brother's shoulder because of the way he was carrying her.

Compared to other dads, he was kind of a small man, weighing only at a 130 lbs and 5'5. But he was a loving father that had an affinity for plaid shirts and paintings of wild animals.

When Kibo turned 2 years old, he bought her a stuffed animal of a rabbit.

He was plopped from the ground like a bird swooping to the earth to grab small a mouse.

She never saw him alive again.

"Gale!" Her mother screamed, and just like her father, she was plucked from the ground and popped into the air.

Her brother panicked, and fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding the talons that had reached for him.

He quickly tried to stand, finding himself at the edge of a very large clearing, which the dragon took the liberty of landing in. The creature was massive, taking up the size of at least several buildings, and causing the siblings to stare up at it in awe. The magical energy and sheer massiveness of it left them awestruck, terrified, and frozen. Most of its scales were black, darker than the blackest caverns, and belly so red that each scale looked like a ruby.

The dragon's head was the size of a bus, and the two siblings found themselves face to face with it.

It snorted hot, grotesque smoke on them, causing them to cough.

It opened its giant jaws, the corpses of their parents inside, and used its tongue to grab their midsections and drop them on the ground. Kibo couldn't help but associate the sound to a piece of meat being dropped to the ground for their dog to eat.

The dragon suddenly lunged forward and latched its teeth into the body of her brother, biting down and then tossing him to the side. The action was so quick that Kibo barely saw it.

She didn't really understand what was going on, but she could still hear screams in the distance as she sat there, her large brown eyes staring up at the terrifying dragon before her.

"Are you scared?" The dragon asked her, its head descending and getting closer to her, so close that she could reach out and touch its nose.

"You're a dragon." She said simply. The dragon shook, causing the ground to rumble as it rescinding its head to laugh loudly into the dark sky, the clouds above them blackened from the smoke and ash.

"Why are mommy and daddy not moving?" She suddenly asked, leaning to the side in order to look at her parents, which she could only recognize by the blue on her mother's shirt and neon green on her father's.

Their bodies to rose, guts spilling and blood pouring out.

She smiled, glad that her parents were okay, and giggling. The little 5 year old had no idea what 'death' was at that time, or much of a concept for pain, so she ran to them in joy.

1.

She felt sick to her stomach at the memory. The dragon had let her 'play' with her dead parents for days before they became so decomposed that not even his blood magic could keep them together. She was too young to understand back then, and in some ways, it may have made the experience more unbearable in the long run.

"Kibo?" Makarov asked, causing her to look back down at the Guild Master, who had been looking at her in concern for some time. "Bad memories?"

"Oi, what are you spacing out for? We gotta go!" Bickslow spoke, ruffling her hair and messing it up for the third time that day.

"I'm not feeling well, I'm heading home." She said, avoiding his disappointed face.

"Whaaat? Come on! This is the first mission with the entire Thunder Legion in 7 years!"

"Have you told him?" Makarov asked, causing her to give him an annoyed glare. He may be her guild master, but she had hoped to keep the knowledge of her brother secret for a little while longer.

"Told me what?"

"Someone claiming to be her dead brother has been following her. He came here yesterday asking about her."

"Dead brother, huh?" He asked, turning and poking at her red face. "Has he been bothering you?"

She didn't say anything, embarrassed by the sudden attention, and still feeling physically ill by the memories. She'd done a good job at forgetting her upbringing for the past 7 years, and this ghost was threatening to destroy that for her.

"Boop." He said, poking her nose and causing her to finally look at him. "Boop."

"Knock it off. You're being obnoxious."

"I'm being obnoxious? You're the one with a ghost brother threatening our first mission together in 7 years. Which of us is being obnoxious right now?"

"You."

"Nope. Boop-" He tried to tap her nose again, but before he could make contact with her nose, she grabbed his wrist, twisting his entire body and forcing him to the ground with his arm twisting painfully behind him. "Alright, alright, I'm being obnoxious."

"Yes, you are." She said, causing him to cry out in pain as she pushed at his arm.

"You did get stronger while we were gone." Makarov commented, still sitting on the counter with his drink next to him. "I thought the others were exaggerating."

"I give, I give- you're going to break my arm if you keep doing that!" Bickslow yelled, crying out again when she suddenly let go, the gravity and strain causing him more pain.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and quickly walked out of the Guild Hall, avoiding eye contact with the other Guild Members. "Meanie…" Bickslow spoke as he slowly moved to stand, his babies echoing him as he held his arm gingerly.

"You totally deserved that, Bickslow." Makarov told him, greatly entertained by the exchange that just happened. The blue-haired wizard glowered, annoyed and sad by what just happened.

She defended herself against _him_.

She never did that.

She never even tried to hurt him when she was younger.

"You done getting beat up by girls, Bickslow? We've got a job to do." Evergreen said, her arms crossed and a similar expression to Makarov's on her face. The brunette was happy to see her comrade stand up for herself, especially against Bickslow, who had been almost obsessing over her ever since they arrived only a few weeks ago. She had been wondering if she should talk to him about it, but given the woman's show of strength, decided she could handle herself.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to go apologize." Bickslow replied, causing the duo to frown at him. "I need to get a sling for my arm, anyway. Pretty sure she damaged my shoulder."

"Come on, you haven't had a job for weeks. We were lucky to get this one. If you bail, we're not splitting the reward with you." Evergreen told him.

"Kibo will understand, she's used to your forwardness. Maybe giving her some space right now is best." Fried tried to reason with him, and after another few minutes of talking to him, eventually convinced him to go on the mission with him.

-2.

"What's your name?" She asked the dragon one day as they sat in the meadow, the beautiful sun and fresh air making it a wonderful day. It had only been two days since the massacre, and she still didn't know her parents were dead, nor the destruction that the dragon had caused.

She simply thought that the dragon was being nice and teaching her things.

"My name is Jackson." He told her, and grinned up at him.

"'Jackson'? It doesn't seem like a very dragon-y name."

"I suppose not." He agreed, chuckling. "Eat your vegetables, Kibo."

"Okaaay…." She whined, going back to her plate to continue eating her food.

2.

Being cared for by a dragon wasn't all bad, she realized reluctantly. Even though the dragon was a psychopath with no respect for human life, he still cared for her as his own child. He made sure she ate enough food, got the right nutrients, had toys to play with, got enough sleep….

She was alone in her apartment for the first time in weeks.

It was quiet.

It felt… empty. Despite the annoying wizard's persistence, and odd behavior, she did enjoy his company and loved having him back in her life. She had even started getting used to him being there all the time, something she was unable to do with others. Given her sensitivity to others, she'd restricted her interaction with them to a minimum, fearful that she would be tempted to use her lost magic.

But the silence was deafening.

She already couldn't wait for them to return, and they likely hadn't even left the city yet.

3.

"Would you stop being so mopey?" Evergreen asked him, annoyed by the constant sighing and snide comments from the wizard.

"I'm not mopey. You're mopey."

"Yeah, you're mopey." His babies echoed, causing the fairy woman to throw her shoe at him, nearly taking his eye out with her heel.

"Evergreen, calm down. This is our first mission together in years, remember?"

"It's only been a few weeks!" She screamed, hitting the green-haired man with her other shoe. "And this is a shit job! 'Go out and destroy a monster on this path'. It's so easy I could do this in my sleep!"

"Well why don't you? We'll wake you up if we run into anything." Bickslow told her, sticking his tongue out at her. He raised his arms up in defense as she started to attack him with her shoe, leaving a few good bruises along arms.

"You- you-" She stammered, unable to think of a good insult.

"Maybe the monster will die from your screaming." Bickslow suggested, snickering as she started hitting him harder.

4.

"What happened to you?" Kibo asked that night, looking at her team mate's bruises covering the entirety of his arms, along with a stray little bruise on his face. He had unzipped his jacket so that he was shirtless, showing off not only his bruises, but his well toned upper torso.

"Evergreen went crazy." He said simply, smiling cheekily at the memory.

"You provoked her, didn't you?"

"Now why would you say that?" He asked, 'hee hee'ing at the end.

"Because you did it to me this morning, and you've been extra obnoxious this week. What did you do to make her snap?"

"She's been so high strung lately, I'm surprised she didn't snap sooner. By the end of the mission she was balling her eyes out on the side of the road while Fried and I handled the monster."

"Poor Evergreen…" Kibo said, trying to feel sympathetic for the female. The brunette sipped at her fresh cup of coffee, trying to ignore his half-nakedness and focus on their upset team mate.

"Poor Evergreen? She beat me up with a shoe!"

"Give her a break. She's in massive debt, has barely been able to afford food with the small jobs she's been getting, and her beauty supplies are probably running low." She said, unable to hide her smile at the end. "I'm staying clear of her when the last thing happens."

"Smart cookie." He said, while his babies echoed his words. "I'm sorry about earlier today. I just… it bugged me that you didn't tell me about it. Makarov had to tell me, and you were glaring at him the entire time…"

"I watched a dragon kill my entire family, Bickslow." She said, looking down at the liquid in her shaking hands. "Afterwards… he taught me how to be a dragonslayer."

He stared at her, his radioactive eyes watching her in disbelief, surprised that his suspicions were correct. Laxus had once theorized that she survived her village slaughter because she was a dragonslayer, but she was so weak, they'd tossed the idea out the window after the first day.

But it made sense.

She rested the hot mug against her leg to keep it from shaking, nervous by the silence that had encompassed the room. He wasn't saying anything, and with every second that ticked by the anxiety in her chest worsened.

"I'm sorry about your family." He finally spoke, causing her to look up at him. "I can't imagine what you've been through." He reached his hand forward, taking the mug from her hands and setting it on the coffee table next to his. Next, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, having to sit on his knees.

She was stunned, unable to move or really comprehend what was happening. It shouldn't have been as shocking as it was, but that simple movement had turned her world upside down.

"Now… how about we get some ice cream?" He said suddenly, pulling out of the hug and looking at her face, smiling at her. His fingertips, soft against her cheeks, wiped away her tears. "Dragonslayers like ice cream, right?"

"We love it." She smiled, truly feeling home for the first time in 7 years.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _Bickering_

"We're going to be late! Hurry up!" Bickslow banged against the door, groaning loudly.

"Well if you hadn't smashed my alarm clock last night, we wouldn't be in this situation!" She screamed at him, causing him to flinch at such a loud and shrill sound. It reminded him eerily of Evergreen.

"You're the worst roommate ever." He said, causing the woman to audibly huff in annoyance, and making him smirk. She was so easy to mess with sometimes.

Fairy Tail was participating in the yearly parade, and the entire guild was supposed to be present for rehearsal that morning, but they were already 20 minutes late. It really was his fault that they were running behind schedule, since he sat on her alarm clock the previous night, claimed that it was 'fixed and set for the correct time' when it clearly wasn't, and then woke up that morning to her hitting him with her pillow.

He'd planned to wake up early and be her alarm clock to avoid getting in trouble, but that didn't exactly happen.

The wizard took a seat back on the couch, yawning into his hand.

Suddenly the doorknob to the bathroom twisted, and the towel clad women emerged, red and frantic. "Your turn." She said quickly, and disappeared into her bedroom.

A part of him was tempted to peak into her bedroom while she was so frantic, since she likely wouldn't notice him, but decided against it. Part of it laziness, the other part respecting or boundaries, or something like that.

"Get your ass moving!" She snapped suddenly, hitting him over the head as she walked quickly past him, walking around in her pants and bra.

"Nice bra."

"Nice hair." She said, referring to his bed head. He looked even shittier than usual, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and hair pointing straight up.

1.

"Where have you guys been?" Fried asked, noticing their flustered faces.

"He broke my alarm clock." She said quietly, hoping that their lateness had gone unnoticed by the Guild Master, who was in the middle of a particularly long winded speech. He seemed to be reciting every 'bad thing' that Fairy Tail had done during the festival over the past 50 years, trying to emphasize how important their appearance was for the parade. Given their lack in popularity over the past few years, and their lack of jobs as of late, it wasn't too surprising.

Most of the wizards were already pumped for the festival and knew the importance of it. Some of them would be running booths through the day, some of them doing a bit of advertizing, and at the end of the day, all of them would be part of the parade. They didn't have as many resources as they used to, so they would have to rely on their magic to make up for it.

"Oi, did we miss anything!?" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs, announcing his arrival and causing both Happy and Lucy to face palm.

"5,000 PUSH UPS!" The Guild Master screamed at him, causing everyone to become terrified by his anger, including the dragonslayer that got on the floor and started counting. "Now, where was I… this year we are **not** going to catch the other floats on fire because we saw a squirrel." He said pointedly, causing the pink-haired boy to move faster. "Nor are we going to eat someone else's papermache float because it's in the shape of fire."

"Sucks to be Natsu today." Bickslow whispered to Kibo, who nodded.

"And Thunder Legion…" The Guild Master spoke, suddenly turning his attention to the four wizards grouped together in the back. "Let's not attack Fairy Tail and hold the city ransom, hm?"

"Yes, sir!" Bickslow yelled, pulling into a solute with his chest puffed out.

2.

"So what do you do for magic at the parade?" Bickslow asked her later that day after the meeting, as they were exploring the town. Everyone was setting up decorations, laughing and having fun, and it brought back memories for them.

"I usually just stand around and look pretty. I don't really know any flashy magic." She said with a shrug. "After you guys left, we didn't put too much effort into the festival. Macao was so busy trying to pay bills and keep the guild afloat, we struggled to get by."

"So what are you going to do this year?" He asked, his babies repeating 'whatchu gonna do'.

She shrugged. "I don't really have showy or flashy magic. I'll probably do the same as every year and blend in with the others…. Why, what are you going to do?"

"Shoot off my baby's sparks in the sky, of course. The crowd loves it." He said, looking fondly at his floating puppets. "The last time this festival happened, I didn't get to participate."

"Why not?"

"Laxus and the rest of Thunder Legion attacked Fairy Tail, remember? They weren't too happy with us." He told her, and she made a small 'oh' sound, remembering the event. "You could use your blood magic."

"I don't like using it. And besides, there are no 'flashy' blood magic spells. Most of it is just gore and death."

"That is a bit of a buzz kill…" He commented, silently contemplating on what she could do for the festival.

3.

"Matching outfits? Seriously?"

"We'll do a twin act!"

"That's stupid on so many levels I don't even know where to begin." Kibo told him, causing him to pout at her. He was standing in front of her with a smaller, more feminine version of his own outfit in hand, waving it in front of her and trying to portray it as attractively as possible.

"Name one reason why this isn't the coolest idea ever."

"For one, we're not twins, so we can't do a 'twin act'."

"Pfft, the crowd won't know that. I've seen tons of twins that looked nothing alike."

"Name one reason why this isn't the worst idea ever." She countered, resting her elbows against the little island separating the kitchen from the living room. He was on the kitchen side, while she was on the living room side.

"Because I thought of it?"

"Why do you even have a female version of your outfit?" She asked suddenly, noticing that it was specifically made for a girl, and had a dirt patch on one of the knees, indicating that it had been worn before.

"I had an ex that made it… she was kind of weird."

"You two sound like a perfect match." She commented, and he glared, making her beam at him. It was rare to see him genuinely peeved by a comment, which made it all the more entertaining. "I take it you didn't like her very much?"

"She was more of a fan girl than a girlfriend… I made the mistake of dating her, even though she was clearly unstable…" He said, now looking at the outfit again with a new expression. "Why did I keep this?"

She shrugged, and watched as he threw it in the garbage, suddenly hating the idea. "Why are you so excited about this event?"

"Because it's a party, and Fairy Tail is the best when it comes to parties." He said, grinning at her.

"I don't think I went to many of the parties before you guys left… I was too young to drink, so you guys just seemed obnoxious and loud."

Suddenly he stared at her, eyes wide and mouth in the little shape of an 'o'. He looked excited, like he was scheming, and she was instantly worried.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've never seen you drunk."

"Well, I was twelve back then…"

"Do you drink now?"

"Not really." She said with a shrug. "Makes my magic go wacky. Getting drunk is out of the question."

"Why? What happens when you get drunk?"

"You don't want to know." She said, and again felt uneasy as the familiar glint returned in his eye. Not only was he scheming, but now he wanted information from her, and that was always a bad combination. "Alright, bad things happen. My dragonslayer magic acts up and I hurt people."

"Fairy Tail wizards can handle a little out of control magic. Have you met Natsu?"

"Still-"

"And Wendy will be on stand by. She's great at healing people. Unless you think she's terrible."

"I think she's a great wizard."

"Really? I'm going to tell her that you hate her guts."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because one way or another, you're getting drunk, and it's going to be hilarious."

4.

"It's practically a rule that every member of Fairy Tail has to get drunk at least once. If it'll make you feel better, I'll drink with you!"

"You always drink, Kana." One of the other members chastised, causing the woman to grin as she took a swig from the bottle in her hand. She was sitting in front of Kibo, who was completely sober, with her legs crossed beneath her and hair tied loosely back in a ponytail.

Natsu had overheard the conversation and came up behind Kibo, slinging his arm around the back of her neck and looking at her with a determined expression. "You've never been drunk before?" He asked, and she grinned awkwardly, blushing at the close proximity. She could smell alcohol on his breath, a very powerful stench that encompassed the entire Guild Hall. Fairy Tail parties weren't known to be small or quiet, and since the return of the Tenrou Island group, they were especially loud and spectacular. Fights were breaking out every few minutes, most of which were caused by the man on her shoulder.

"I'm not a fan of alcohol."

"Why not?"

"I don't like the feeling of losing control."

"Come oooon, you're around friends! No one would judge you if you did something stupid!" Kana told her, and then took yet another drink from her bottle.

"Do you drink at all?" Natsu asked, returning his gaze to her.

"On occasion, in small portions. I'd appreciate it if-" She started to ask him not to pressure her into drinking, but the sudden bang in front of her caused her to turn and look at the excessively large bottle of Tequila and shot glass next to it. Bickslow was standing there, in the process of opening the bottle, and grinning at the two of them.

A crowd was beginning to form.

She had a bad feeling.

"Lucy has challenged you to a drinking contest! She called you ugly and claims she can hold her liquor better than you!" He announced, causing the blond nearby to try and yell at him, but was pushed and shoved into the seat that Kana had vacated out of.

Lucy and Kibo looked at each other, both of them uneasy and terrified of the two shot glasses being filled in front of them. "I never agreed to this!"

"You're going to let Kibo get away with calling you a fat whore? Have you no decency?"

"I never said that!" Kibo yelled at him, her face beat red as she felt the stares of everyone around her.

"Come on, it's a party! Woohoo!" Natsu yelled and cheered, briefly standing up and then taking a seat next to her. Levy took a seat next to Lucy, taking the role of being her 'coach'. The blue-haired wizard had already had a few too many, laughing and giggling and encouraging her friend to go through with the contest.

The rest of the guild started chanting and cheering, along with a few bets taking place.

"Come on Biko, you can take her!" Natsu told Kibo, grinning and patting her on the back.

Kibo and Lucy locked eyes, but the blond looked a little more determined and confident. "You're going down!" She said, and grabbed the first shot and downed it, making a grossed out face immediately afterwards.

Bickslow picked up her glass and smiled at her, handing it to her.

Natsu nudged her encouragingly towards it, and she finally reached out and grabbed it, quickly swallowing the terrible tasting liquid.

The crowd cheered, and another shot was poured. "Round two!" Bickslow yelled, and both ladies took the shot.

"How are you feeling?" Natsu asked her, and she grinned.

"I'm alright. It's a little warm in here, though."

"Come on, Lucy, you can do better than that!" Levy screamed at the blond, but her cheeks were already rosy and she only laughed at the shorter female.

After another 3 shots, Kibo felt the effects kicking in.

"I forfeit. You win." She told the blond, causing the remainder of the crowd to 'boo' and 'aaw' at her.

"You sure you don't want to keep going? I don't think you're drunk yet." The green-eyed wizard asked, noticing that she still seemed very composed. "I think you can handle another couple of rounds." He said, already pouring the drink and making the people that bet on her cheer.

"Lucy wins. End of story." She said, and tried to get up and leave, but found herself unable to do so.

 _I hate peer pressure_. The brunette thought disdainfully, her eyes dropping to her hand on the table, suddenly focusing all of her energy on keeping her heart beating.

Because of her blood magic, she usually regulated her body functions consciously, albeit it was usually in the back of her mind and required little focus to do so. It was literally something she could do in her sleep.

Alcohol messed it up though, and made it difficult for her to control those organ functions.

The question of whether she'd die if she lost consciousness suddenly occurred to her.

"I… n…" She tried to speak, but figuring out what to speak and how to coordinate it with her lungs and breathing was proving problematic.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked, noticing the woman's eyes glaze over and sudden stillness.

"Kibo?" Natsu asked, and Bickslow repeated her name.

The green-eyed mage leaned forward and cupped Kibo's chin, turning it upwards so that he could look at her face. She seemed blank, expressionless, but in her eyes he could tell that she was extremely focused. "Can someone grab Wendy? Kibo doesn't look too good."

"I'll go get her." Happy announced, and went to go find the small wizard.

"You could have told me you didn't drink because of a medical problem, _idiot_." Bickslow told her, furrowing his eyebrows at her. He reached his hand to her neck and tried to feel her pulse, which was erratic and inconsistent.

"Is she okay?" Lucy asked, now standing next to Natsu and trying to get a good look at her.

"Looks like you win the drinking contest, Lucy. After Wendy looks at her, I think I'm going to take her home." The older wizard stated, trying to sound calm to the young girl, who cheered loudly and threw her hands up in the air in victory. Levy cheered and screamed with her, jumping up and down.

"Good job, Luce." Natsu complimented her, and she turned beat red, blushing at the comment. Immediately she started yelling at him, accusing him of being against him, and then was soon distracted by something else. The pink-haired wizard made sure Bickslow would take care of Kibo before going back to the party, bored with sitting around while others were fighting.

"Do we need to take you to a hospital?" Bickslow quietly asked Kibo, who was still unmoving and silent.

"N… no." She managed to get out, and soon enough Wendy found them, a candy necklace around her neck.

"What happened?"

"She had a few shots, and now she can't speak or move. Her heart rate is erratic." Bickslow explained, causing Wend to look at him in surprise, then at the woman sitting in front of him. His hand was still on her face, keeping her chin up, but now he was sitting in a chair he had grabbed with his foot.

The small dragonslayer turned Kibo's face to look at hers, pulling at the woman's eyelids and checking her pupils. She also reached her hand to where Bickslow's had been to check her pulse. "I think she has some kind of alcohol poisoning. Give her lots of water and if she doesn't improve in the next ten minutes, I'll come back and heal her."

"Alcohol poisoning can do that to someone's heart?" The male wizard asked, having never seen these symptoms from drinking too much. Puking and erratic breathing, sure, but not going into this kind of comatose state.

"No, and normally I'd be worried about it, but I'm guessing it has something to do with her healing magic. Sometimes alcohol can have adverse effects on people that use healing magic, or have had it used on them." She explained, smiling up at the worried wizard. "Either way, she's done for the night."

"God damn it… It's my fault she's like this, so I'll take her home."

About 15 minutes later, after having her sip water and get an 'ok' from Wendy, Bickslow put her on his back and carried her home. On the way back she started to become coherent again, but her sentences were limited. He was too annoyed to keep up much conversation anyway, a mix of guilt and frustration eating away at him, a dash of anger mixed in.

"Did you know this would happen?" He asked her after a while of walking. It was late, darkness encompassing the cobblestone street, and the cloudy skies above them threatened to rain at any moment.

"No…"

"Liar." He huffed, and jumped slightly to reposition her on his back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cuz…." She started to speak, having to gulp from the dryness of her mouth. "You're an ass hole."

"I thought you were just shy, not deathly allergic to it or some shit."

"Have you ever felt someone's heart beating for the last time?"

"… can't say I have." He replied, thrown off by the question.

"If I fall asleep before the alcohol leaves my system, I could die."

"Seriously?"

"For cereal." She replied, and started chewing on his hair.

"I was wrong. You're not fun when you're drunk."

"You're no fun when you're drunk." She said, and bit his ear, causing him to yell out in surprise and pain.

5.

"So we have to keep you awake all night?" He asked, finding himself sitting in his usual spot on her couch. She was sitting across from him on the same couch, in her usual position, but a tired expression on her face.

"Yep. Teach you to ever make me drink again."

"But you're drunk right now, right?" He asked, his mischievous grin returning, and she nodded. Her movements were excessively sluggish, and although she could move to some degree, she was mostly still and extremely uncoordinated when she did move.

"Si." She replied, and leaned her head against the side of the couch.

"12 hours to hang out with drunk Kibo…" He spoke, smiling as he looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Do you have a crush on Natsu?"

"I like him." She said with a shrug.

"Want some tea?" He asked, and she nodded. After standing up to go start the kettle, he took his usual wizarding outfit off so that he was in boxers and a black wife beater shirt. It was a common look for him nowadays, and Kibo had taken up similar relaxed habits.

"You're cute." The woman said, and giggled. She was still in her dress, a stunning red and gold fabric with intricate designs, and still adorned her jewelry and make up. She had dressed up for the parade and festival, and even though her hair was extremely simple compared to the other wizards, her unique style set her apart from the rest.

He paused, enjoying the look he was getting from her.

When he made it to the kitchen and started making the tea, he continued asking her questions. "So why don't you like dates?"

"Just cuz I'm drunk… doesn't mean I'll tell you shit."

"You already said I was cute."

"No I didn't."

"Well, I think you're cute." He told her, surprised that her memory was so short. "Have you and Natsu kissed yet?"

"Kissing is gross."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"Pffft," She turned her attention to her hand, which was unusually blue. "Blue… right, circulation. I have to do that."

"You should tell Natsu that you're a dragonslayer."

"I hate being a dragonslayer."

"Why is that?" He asked, but didn't receive an answer. When he looked over at her, waiting for the water to boil, he noticed that her eyes were closed. "Kibo?"

"Do you like Evergreen?" She asked abruptly, looking up at him and blinking her eyes feverously, trying to stay awake.

"No, she's just a good friend. Besides, I'm rooting for her and Elfman."

"Do you like anyone?"

"I like you." He said, but she scoffed, either not believing him or thinking he meant something else. His smile caught her attention, though- whether it was the alcohol or not, she couldn't tell, but his gaze made her think of lust.

She sighed, trying to stop her mind before she began. Being frustrated on top of drunk was not something she needed, given the level of concentration she needed to keep her body functioning. "What happened to your family?"

"I already told you. Sisters died of an illness, parents live up North. I visit them on occasion, but they're not fond of me."

"They don't like tattoos and glowing green eyes?" She asked, smiling, and he chuckled.

"What was the dragon that raised you like?"

"What's your favorite kind of tea?"

"Why do you avoid questions about dragons?"

"Since you're over there, how about you make us some food?" She asked, and although he wanted to question her more on the topic, dropped it for the time being. It wasn't a conversation to have when she was drunk, and if she did reveal anything too personal, he knew she wouldn't forgive him.

He was slowly learning what buttons to press in order to see her react, but he also knew when to back off, and this was one of those times. There was always time to question her later. "Ramen okay?"

"You're making food?" She asked, smiling, and causing him to chuckle. He navigated her kitchen easily, since he'd been living there for several weeks already, and found the ramen in the cupboard. "I wish I liked sex."

Her words caught him off guard, and he almost dropped the package of ramen in his hands.

"Are you good at sex?"

Blue hair sticking up in all directions and green eyes locked on her, he blinked at her, surprised by the forward question. "I'm good with my tongue." He said, winking at her as he stuck out his tongue, Fairy Tail emblem gleaming at her.

She sighed.

"What? I've been told by women that I'm good in bed. I'm hardly a master, but I've got a lot of practice."

She was already thinking about something else, her attention straying back to her hand, which was now returning to its usual shade of pale. "I like elephants."

6.

"This show is boring. Want to make out instead?" Bickslow asked the next day, both of them cuddled up together on the couch. He was sitting at a slight angle, mostly sitting upright, while Kibo had been sleeping on and off with her head comfortably on his chest. Her arm rested across his naked abdomen, while the other was wrapped beneath the pillow he leaned against.

Feeling guilty for the previous night, the wizard had let the woman use him as a pillow for most of the day and watch random tv shows on television. They both smelled like her pomegranate body wash, since he'd taken up the habit of using her bathroom essentials, but given her heightened senses she could smell his distinct scent. She loved it, and despite feeling sleep deprived and tired, enjoyed the day.

After talking and eating for most of the night, they had resorted to watching exciting movies to keep her awake, and somehow ended up in this intimate position. Both of them had taken several naps, not all of them at the same time, and left the tv on for background sound.

"Not really." She replied, nuzzling the side of her face into his chest.

"No sexual tension? None?"

"If you're only here to get laid, then you should leave. I'm not about to have sex for the first time because you're bored."

"I never said sex, I said making out."

"You said sexual tension, which implied sex." She told him, and he chuckled, causing her head to bounce with his rib cage.

"I suppose you have a point…" He said, and started petting her hair.

"I've been waiting my whole life for this… training, studying," He spoke, and held up his arm, morphing it into a giant blade with smaller ones sticking out of it. "Changing, for this battle. I have no blood for you to control."

"So instead of tracking me down to reunite with your little sister, you spent your entire life preparing to kill her?" She asked, frowning slightly with her hands in her pockets and appearing overly casual for the circumstances.

"I saw what you did to our parents…


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** Thank you everyone for the faves, follows, and reviews! And sorry for the delayed update! ^^

 **Chapter 5**

 _O' Death_

The ice cold hands of death gripped her soul,

Skeleton hands slipped through the cracks of her chest and plunged

Blades that she once called friends held her close.

Blood flowed freely from her open wounds

Screams scratched the night air

Scarring the ears of anyone that heard.

The bones scraped against her own,

Ground to dust,

Flesh torn apart like paper.

She looked down, her wide brown eyes watching in curiosity as the skeleton's hand delved deeper into her chest cavity, while the other cupped the side of her face. When her gaze slowly crawled up the arm of her assailant, the metallic bones shining ominously against the full moon, she eventually locked eyes with pure darkness within empty eye sockets.

"I am death. I am the reaper of Skeleton Village." The metal skeleton spoke, the only color being the blood of his current victim that sprayed across him. "I am your brother, the spirit of vengeance."

The spell caused blades to pierce through her entire body, emerging everywhere from her feet to her head, causing instant death.

"Your evil shall no longer walk this Earth."

Kibo stood there, her corpse held up by the skeleton's hand and the tree that slowly began enveloping her.

1.

The few days earlier….

"Why do you let that guy push you around so much?" Romeo asked one day, enjoying a nice meal with his friends. The group, consisting of non-Tenrou Island wizards, was only four people, and the entire Guild Hall was scarce for mages at the moment. Most of the wizards were off working, and ever since the festival, there were plenty of jobs available.

Kibo looked up from her sandwich, not surprised by the question. Ever since the Thunder Legion came back, she'd been doing many missions with them rather than the people she usually worked with. Specifically, she'd been spending a lot of time with Bickslow, who tended to rub people the wrong way. Figuratively and literally.

"It's all in good fun." She said with a shrug. "He's a nice guy when you get to know him."

"He's creepy." Warren stated, causing her to smile awkwardly.

"So are most wizards before you get to know them."

"But… he's _creepy_." Romeo emphasized. "And he's not even that attractive."

"It's not like I'm dating him. He was like a big brother when I first came to Fairy Tail…. Actually, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Thunder Legion. I would still be living in the woods."

"You used to live in the woods?" Droy asked between bites of his massive lunch.

"Yeah. After… well, I uh, spent most of my childhood alone in the forest. I stumbled across the Thunder Legion one day, and they took me to Makarov, who said I could join Fairy tail."

"So you put up with Bickslow because he found you wandering in the woods as a kid?" Romeo clarified.

"He's really not that bad… annoying as hell sometimes, but he has a good heart." She said with a smile.

"So does Natsu. When are you going out with him again?" He asked, causing her to laugh and for Warren to shake his head.

"Natsu is in love with Lucy, Romeo. They're practically married."

"No way. Kibo and Natsu would be a way cuter couple. Plus, they've actually gone out on a date." Romeo defended, and Kibo couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"How many missions have Natsu and Kibo been on together, though? Lucy has him wrapped around her finger."

"No way, Natsu just likes her as a friend."

The conversation continued for quite a while, as if the young wizard wasn't even there, so she found herself daydreaming about Bickslow.

2.

The youngest wizard of Fairy Tail, Romeo, managed to set up a job for Natsu and Kibo to do. Although Kibo couldn't figure out the details, apparently he'd accepted a job on behalf of a larger group that including the pair, and then at the last minute 'everyone bailed'.

It was a simple job. Stay in a haunted house all night, and if they saw or heard any ghost activity, to write it down in a journal and give it to the home owner. The owner, a man by the name of Carrol, was having various men and women stay in the house in order to determine if the house was haunted or not.

It was a pretty nice house- well, mansion. It was three stories tall, and wasn't quite large enough to be classified as a mansion, was still big. Well furnished, fairly stocked kitchen- the only downside was the dust and musty smell.

"Gotta hand it to Romeo. For a set up, he did a pretty good job." Kibo complimented as they entered the house, Natsu closing the door behind them before standing in the main hallway with her.

"Eh." He said with a shrug. "I'm hungry." The dragonslayer said, and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I'm going to walk around for a bit." She said, and started exploring. The backpack on her back would become a nuisance soon, so she dumped it in the living room on her way to the rest of the house.

In the corner of her eye she saw a flash, but when she turned to look at it, nothing was there.

This occurrence kept happening through the night, and she started to wonder if there was simply something wrong with her eye sight.

"How's the food?" She asked after an hour of exploring, trying to ignore the creepy flashes in the corners of her eyes. Even though it felt like someone was watching her, she couldn't smell anyone there, nor sense any physical bodies.

Natsu was smiling, flashing his signature grin at her. "Awesome!"

"Is there any left?"

"Uuhh…" He scratched the back of his head and looked at the ceiling, trying to remember if there was any food he saw and didn't eat.

"It's okay, I already ate and I brought snacks." She told him, making him relax a bit. "Have you seen any ghost activity?"

"Ghosts? Oh yeah… nope." He replied, looking full and content while the pile of dishes in the sink went well above the counter. "You? Find anything?"

"Nothing concrete… it does feel like I'm being watched, though, and I keep seeing flashes in the corner of my eye. Like a piece of metal reflecting off of something."

He sniffed the air. "I haven't smelled any new scents, and you're the only person I've heard walking around the house."

"I haven't smelled anything either, nor can I sense any other magic… I can't shake the feeling, though." She admitted, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Well, this place is supposed to be haunted." The pink-haired man said, getting the mischievous glint in his eye that she knew all too well. "If you're too scared-"

"I'm not scared of the dead, Natsu. It's the living I worry about." She said, and winked at him before walking out the kitchen, causing the boy to chase after her.

3.

"Next time we go on a mission together, I'm wrapping you in bubble wrap." Evergreen told the woman, sitting in the warm water of the spa and eyeing the injuries on Kibo's body. After their job ended just a few hours ago, the girl had scratches all over her body from falling into blackberry bushes and then into a river, where she managed to accumulate even more scrapes, bruises, and lacerations.

Kibo sunk into the warm waters, not entirely fond of the water, but pretending to enjoy it for the company she was with. Several of the Fairy Tail women had decided to do a 'spa day' together, and when Evergreen saw her walking past the group, there was no saying 'no'.

Although Evergreen had been in Fairy Tail for longer, she didn't get along with the other women very well. She kept her distance, afraid to get emotionally close, and had started to make a habit of dragging Kibo along with her whenever there was a group activity.

"How did you get hurt this time?" Lucy asked, smiling politely at her. "Did you get mauled by a cat?"

"She fell into a blackberry bush, and rolled into a river." Evergreen explained for her. "I mean, really. I'm starting to suspect that she likes getting hurt. It's no wonder that she and Natsu haven't hooked up yet."

"I heard something different…" The blond said, smiling knowingly at Kibo, who sunk deeper into the water so that her nose was just above the water.

Evergreen gasped, and then hit the brunette on the shoulder. "Why don't you tell me anything!?"

"There's nothing to tell." Kibo said meekly, smiling awkwardly at the angry fairy.

"Not according to Natsu… he wouldn't give any details, but judging by his red face and bite mark on his neck…"

Suddenly all of the women were interested, and gathered around the awkward girl excitedly. "Spill it!" Levy said, smiling at the woman.

4.

"Lucy, I'm home~!" Bickslow sang as he entered the small apartment, only to look around and find a certain young girl sleeping on the couch. His loud entrance didn't seem to wake her, which was unusual, but he nonetheless tried to be quiet as he closed the door behind him.

He'd just returned from a mission with Fried, a week long monster finding endeavor that took them into the mountains. The large and heavy backpack on his shoulders had been killing his back, and he was thankful to put it on the ground with his other duffel bag of belongings.

It was rare that he found her sleeping on the couch, but that was likely because he tended to hog it for sleeping and such. He walked over to her, taking his hood off along the way. When he reached her, he took a seat next to her on the floor, now eye level with her.

The apartment smelled of roses, likely from one of the many candles she lit on occasion.

His mind wandered to how she looked when she slept as a child, and how she always looked so troubled in her sleep. When she was awake, she was happy and carefree; but as soon as she slipped into slumber land, her face contorted and twisted. Only when he pet her hair or tightened his grip on her did the expression turn to calm and serene.

He reached up and entangled his fingers in her hair, gingerly caressing her scalp.

A sudden possessiveness came over him, and for a moment, he didn't want anyone else to have her.

She belonged to him, and no one else. Those beautiful lashes, the pink cheeks, glossy lips, even the small scratches along her otherwise milky smooth skin.

He knew it was irrational; but as he stroked her long hair, the image of Natsu or any other person doing something as innocent as this with her made him sick.

He leaned in closer and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

She slowly opened her eyes, not surprised to find him so close to her. It was happening so often lately that she almost expected it.

"Good morning." She said softly, causing him to smile. He watched her yawn cutely, a small squeak escaping her mouth like a small kitten.

"How was your nap?"

"Excellent." She said with a smile, enjoying the feel of her muscles stretching. "How was your mission?"

"Boring. I want to do something more exciting." He said, grinning at her, and causing her to frown.

"What are you-" Her sentence was cut off as his lips crashed onto hers, causing her eyes to widen and pulse to quicken.

And then he pulled back, grinning like an idiot, chuckling at her expression. "Let's get some ice cream." He said, and stood up, leaving to go into the kitchen.

Confused and still sleepy, she decided that she was likely still dreaming, and went back to sleep.

"Do you want chocolate or strawberry ice cream?" Bickslow asked from the kitchen, but when he peered over at her, discovered that her eyes were closed again. A giddy feeling took over him, and happy smile tugged at his lips.

5.

She kept seeing her brother's face everywhere, and it was beginning to weird her out. As they walked through town, a single man with her brothers eyes would walk past, with no distinguishable scent, and disappear.

As she tried to pinpoint his magic in order to track him, it proved impossible to distinguish from the objects around him. It was like he was an extension of the earth, not having his own distinct magic signature or form.

At night, she kept seeing flashes of metal in the corners of her eyes, and every time it felt like she was being watched.

If Makarov hadn't talked to her brother, she'd think that she was going crazy- that her years of bottling up her emotions was making her crack. The ghosts of her past coming to haunt her for the terrible things she did.

Bickslow had started noticing the flashes, too.

"Come on, why won't you fight Natsu?" Romeo asked her one day, trying to convince her to join the fist fighting taking place. Natsu was fighting people one-on-one, and each time they challenged him, he managed to knock them out or make them forfeit. Even Gray was on the ground passed out, after being distracted by Juvia that allowed a lucky hit from Natsu's firey fists.

"She doesn't fight because she knows I'll win." Natsu answered for her, a cocky smirk on his face.

"In hand-to-hand combat, Natsu, she would give you a run for your money." Macao contributed. "She's a natural at martial arts."

Kibo smiled at the compliments, albeit feeling a bit awkward.

"If that's the case, then come on!" The wizard yelled at her, pumped up and standing on a table. "I challenge you!" He yelled, pointing at her.

"Well, if you challenge me, I guess I have to fight." She said and stood, taking her jacket off in the process. She was wearing a pair of jeans and decorated shirt, a tribal style with various browns and reds. "I'll try to go easy on you."

His smirk widened, cracking his knuckles loudly in anticipation. Romeo kept telling him how strong and agile she was since his first day back, and now he was fired up for it.

"Try not to destroy the Guild Hall…" Makarov warned them, but Natsu wasn't listening.

The fire dragonslayer jumped up and tried to land a kick on her, which she easily redirected and dodged. Mid air he tried to hit her with a side punch, but was met by her forearm. She pushed him back, surprised by the force behind his hit. Her skin was singed slightly. "We're using magic?" She asked, but was ignored as Natsu threw a flurry of attacks at her, all of which she easily dodged or redirected.

At one point, when he had his leg in the air from a kick, she grabbed the limb and pulled him off balance, slapping his ear with great force. "Gaaaah, damn it," He cursed, jumping back and frowning at the pain that pulsed in his ear.

She grinned, having barely moved since the beginning of the fight. The Thunder Legion was watching her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as she continued fighting against Natsu. As her body moved, she mainly used attacks that redirected his massive amount of energy, and when he was off balance, attacked sensitive areas of his body.

"Stop moving so that I can hit you!" He yelled at one point, trying to hit her face, but missing yet again.

"Come on, Natsu, you're embarrassing yourself! You haven't even landed one hit!" Lucy teased, causing him to turn and yell at her.

"Shut up, I know that!"

She found herself enjoying fighting him. Given her ability to sense other people's bodies, martial arts was extremely easy for her, since she could detect what they would do before they would do it. With Natsu, he was so random and sporadic with his tactics that there was no anticipating his attacks, so she could only use her martial arts skills to fight.

Most of her fighting right now was based on her reflexes, which she rarely got to do.

"This is fun." Kibo said with a smile, narrowly dodging a hit and spinning away.

"For you, maybe!" He yelled, frustrated, and ran at her again.

This time, though, he tried something different.

When she threw him off balance yet again, instead of throwing his guard off as well, he used the opportunity to grab her mid fall and throw her balance off, the momentum exchange causing him to get the upper hand.

He punched her stomach, the force of which caused her to go back several feet before skidding to a stop. As he ran at her again to punch her face, she regained her composure and went back to dodging, now more careful about getting close. He was adapting to her style and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"How are you still standing? That much power usually takes down the average person." He asked, surprised that it hadn't deterred her movements in the slightest.

"I have a high tolerance for pain."

"So I don't need to hold back?" He asked, smiling.

"Bring it."

His speed and agility increased significantly, which although made it more difficult to rely on her reflexes, it made his body much easier to read.

Erza once told her that Natsu's greatest ability in a fight was being able to match his opponents strength and surpass it, along with his adaptability to nearly any fighting style. Kibo was starting to learn just how incredible he was, as his fighting efficiency was increasing exponentially.

She barely missed one of his hits, only for the table she had been standing on to explode.

"Guys, take this outside!" Macao told them. "We can't afford repairs."

They didn't hear him, since Natsu didn't care and Kibo was just struggling to stay ahead of his movements. He managed to kick her, causing her to hit the wall, break it, and fall on the other side. Quickly she rolled onto her feet, when Natsu appeared, running at her full speed and emerging out of the dust cloud with his fist ready to hit her face.

Dodging at the last second, she grounded herself and aimed her elbow at his face, causing him to run full force into the joint. She felt his cheek bone smash into her, cracking from the force, and watched as he fell flat on his back.

He grabbed her foot and knocked her over, utilizing her distracted state, and jumped on her. His body froze on hers, his legs straddling each side of her waist while his fire dragonslayer magic shined brilliantly from his raised fist.

"Good fight." He said, making his fire disappear and smiling down at her.

Despite his victory, he was pretty bruised and beat up. He'd also broken half of the furniture in the Guild Hall, along with the portion of the wall he'd smashed Kibo into.

Trying to push the memories to the back of her mind, she smiled up at him. "Good fight." She agreed, and after he got off of her and stood, took the hand offered to her.

6.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Bickslow screamed at her, startling her and causing the blade to shift in her hand. The woman had thought that she'd have the house to herself, since the other wizard had said he'd be gone, but evidently that wasn't the case.

"… what _you_ doing?" She countered, awkwardly pulling the large blade from the side of her chest. "You said you weren't going to be home tonight."

"Fried canceled on me. Why the hell are you stabbing yourself?!" He asked, striding forward and grabbing the blade from her hand and slamming it down on the table. When he looked closer at her, he noticed that there were more stab marks across her body, namely her upper body, but there were a few long cuts along her exposed legs.

She was wearing a tight, black, wife beater shirt with matching form-fitting shorts. It was what she wore during training or when she was home, since it allowed a wide range of motion along with unlikelihood of stains. "… why the hell _aren't_ you stabbing yourself? Didn't you hear that it's all the rage these days?" The woman asked, her face flush and embarrassment creeping along her chest.

Not only was she caught cutting, but she was also caught in revealing clothing, which made it worse.

She couldn't tell what exactly he was feeling, but she knew that he was feeling a lot of emotions that moment, one of which included anger.

"Are you that depressed? Do I make you that miserable by living here?"

"Tch, it has nothing to do with you." She said truthfully, and leaned against the kitchen counter. Water was boiling on the stove, preparing her tea.

He stared at her, his wide radioactive eyes boring into her with such intensity that she wanted to run away, and their height difference didn't help. He was looming over her, hand on the counter only a few inches from the blade he had just confiscated, and his gaze wandered across her fresh wounds covering the expanse of her skin. "Is this why you don't date? Because you're afraid they'll find out about your 'hobby'?"

"My blood magic heals it. They don't leave scars."

"Why… why do… why do you mutilate yourself?"

"It… feels nice?" She said uneasily, feeling like a child that did something wrong, and was being lectured by a parent. She'd gotten lectures tons of times from Macao and the others, but she'd never seen any of them this enraged, nor had she ever been caught in such a compromising position.

"'It feels nice'?" He repeated, his eyes locking on the portion of her chest he'd caught her stabbing. Blood was traveling in small rivers down her breast, and absorbing into the thin fabric of her shirt. "You stab your beautiful body because it 'feels good'?"

"People do worse everyday."

"You're a masochist." He said, and suddenly shoved her shoulder, causing her to turn and lean against the counter, her lower back pressing against the lip of the surface. Bickslow positioned himself in front of her, his arms on either side of her, eyes refusing to meet hers. He was staring at her shoulder, where a small cut had stopped bleeding but extended a few inches.

"You're mad." She said, more like asked, and unsure what to do. She could feel the warmth of his skin radiation from his body, which was only an inch away from her own and brushing against her in other parts. Her cheeks were red, trying to look at his expression at the weird angle, but unable to get a good look.

"Is this how you deal with stress? How long have you been doing this?"

"… I was raised by a blood dragon, Bickslow. Learning to control blood requires losing it."

"So it's habit?"

"I suppose."

She felt uncomfortable, which was rare around this wizard. He was usually the only person that she could stand being this close to, and felt so safe and warm with; now, she felt insecure and nervous, squirming and fidgeting awkwardly beneath him. "I don't understand."

"It's not a big deal."

"Of course it's a big deal!" He yelled, slamming his hand down on the surface behind her and making her jump. She had never been scared of him until now.

She was glad that she was so injured at that moment; her 'sensing' abilities were considerably dulled, so she didn't feel everything that was happening inside him.

Her true reason for cutting, or any injury, was because it dulled her senses.

When she focused her blood magic on herself, it meant that she wasn't focused on the bodies of people around her. Now that she thought about it, her main problem with being intimate with people was the fact that she could sense so much within their body. If she was more severely injured, she might be able to enjoy intimacy with another human being.

"How did you think this would make us feel?" He asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Evergreen, Fried… Natsu."

"Everyone has their own way of relaxing. Speaking of which, any interest in making out?" She asked, completely over the awkward position he'd put her in. She wanted to try out her new idea, and was in the perfect situation for it.

His lips crashed onto hers, pressing his entire body against her. Even though Bickslow was lean and fit, he was still a tall and muscular man, and the action almost smothered her. He was still angry and frustrated at her, so he didn't bother being gentle.

Kibo snaked her hand up his side and landed on the back of his neck, enjoying the feel of him against her. The amount she could feel was perfect—physically she could touch his skin, but she couldn't sense or hear the various organs in his body working. For the first time, she could truly enjoy the feel of a man on her.

His large tongue slid along her teeth and slithered into her mouth, catching her off guard. Her eyes opened in surprise, feeling his tongue masterfully caress her own and dance within the inside of her mouth. She'd imagined his tongue doing things to her on multiple occasions, but her imagination paled to the real thing.

Bickslow's large hand rested on her hip, while the other slowly moved upwards to cup her breast. His movements were slow and controlled, except when his tongue sped up inside her own. Slightly rough in some places, he silently reminded her that he was still mad at her.

Her hands managed to become entangled in his hair, and if she could move, she would grind against him. As it was, she was pinned down by his body, only able to move her arms, and could feel his need growing against her hip.

She moaned into the kiss when his hand gently squeezed her breast, and suddenly, he stopped.

He pulled away, tongue and all, leaving her panting and staring at him.

He removed his hand, and took a step back, a strange expression his face. "What's wrong?" She asked, trying to reach out and pull him back, but missing. He moved out of her reach and without a word, practically ran out of the apartment.

The brunette stood there, flustered and panting, trying to recompose herself.

"So… guess I'll just go back to, uh, doing my thing." She said, a smile on her face and only now realizing that the teapot was boiling.

7.

The next day she found herself at the Guild Hall, sitting at a table with Macao and Wakaba. As they spoke about the 'good old days' and random topics, she picked at her food, slouched over and thinking about the previous night.

Apparently, Bickslow had stayed at Evergreen's apartment in the Girls Dormitory last night, and took a job early that morning that required traveling halfway across Fiore to accomplish. He'd just left, without saying goodbye, and Kibo didn't know how to feel.

On one hand, he was annoying. On the other hand, it was a really awesome kiss. On another hand, he is a close friend. On yet another hand, he's an ass hole.

"Did you and Bickslow have a fight or something? I heard he spent the night at Evergreen's." Macao asked her, noticing how quiet she'd been for the past half hour.

"And he ran out pretty quickly this morning." Wakabo added.

"He's just being a judgemental ass hole…" She muttered, frowning down at her noodles that she twisted with her fork over and over again.

" _He's_ judging _you_?" The two men asked in unison, causing her to look up from her food.

"I know, right? He possesses people's souls and shoves them into flying dolls, but no, I'm the weird one." Kibo said, and sighed. "I don't remember guys being this weird before the Tenrou group came back."

"Maybe you should spend time with your other friends. Why not hang out at the Mermaid Hell for a while?" Wakabo suggested, and she looked at the ceiling, contemplating the idea.

"That's a really good idea, actually. Mil-" She started to speak, but was interrupted when a loud bang came from the front of the Guild Hall, the door wide open. Lucy stood there, looking beat up and frantic, while Erza was close behind with an unconscious Natsu on her arm. With them was the rest of Team Natsu, and Gajeel, who looked pretty beat up.

"What happened?!" Mirajane asked, noticing that the fire dragonslayer was bleeding and looked worse for wear. Kibo stood, along with the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards, trying to see what had happened. The red headed wizard, Erza, carried Natsu over to a table and laid him down on it.

"We were attacked, Natsu was hit worst. They were targeting dragonslayers." Lucy explained, visibly shaking from the event.

All of them looked beat up, with several cuts on each of their bodies.

It looked eerily like Evergreen's injuries when she was attacked.

Natsu lay there, unconscious, and bloody. He looked so helpless and beaten, a side of him she thought she'd never see.

"Kibo, can you heal him? I used up all of my magic during the fight." Wendy asked her, snapping the woman out of her dazed state.

"Yeah," She replied, and walked forward, feeling robotic in her movements. Her arms effortlessly lifted and hovered over his barely moving chest, which rose up and down weakly with every breath.

She hated using her blood magic.

"He's going to be okay," Lucy said, noticing the woman's hesitance and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I have faith in you."

"So the mission for dragonslayers was really a trap?" Mirajane asked Erza, and as Kibo started healing Natsu, she listened in on their conversation.

"Yes. 7 men, or possessed metal skeletons of men, attacked us. They were targeting dragonslayers, and had this strange device that detected their magic."

Kibo listened, her heart racing, and trying to be slow in her healing efforts with Natsu. She only healed the most urgent injuries, so that she could keep control.

"They called themselves the 'Avengers of Skeleton Village', or something like that." Gray said, and Kibo's muscles stiffened at the mention of her hometown.

"Skeleton Village, huh?" Makarov asked, looking over at Kibo, who didn't know how to react.

' _They're targeting me. They attacked my friends because of me._ ' She thought angrily, and once her magic was done, she turned towards Makarov and the group, who were now looking at her. "Were they very shiny?"

"Huh?" Gray asked.

"The skeletons- Erza said that they were metal. Was it a shiny metal, or dull?"

"Shiny." Erza answered. "Why does it matter?"

"I've been seeing metal or shining objects in the corners of my eyes for the past week… I first saw them when Natsu and I did a mission together last week."

"He told me about that," Lucy spoke, sitting down in a chair near the unconscious man. "He started seeing them afterwards, too. As did I."

"I have, too! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me." Macao said, and suddenly multiple wizards spoke up with similar sightings.

' _This doesn't make sense. Why follow everyone at Fairy Tail? If they were after me specifically, they would have attacked me by now. Targeting other dragonslayers doesn't make sense.'_

She looked down at her watch, realizing the time. "Natsu is going to be alright, he just needs rest. I have a job that I need to get to."

"I'm coming with you." Macao stated, standing up.

"Erza said that they're targeting dragonslayers. Since I'm not one, they shouldn't come after me."

"True, but they've apparently been stalking our entire guild. I'd feel safer if you had backup." The older man stated, putting on his jacket. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"No one should be alone until we take down whoever did this. They were extremely powerful, and we barely escaped with our lives." Erza announced, and although the rest of the guild looked nervous, they nodded in agreement. Natsu's team consisted of the most powerful wizards in their guild—if they couldn't take down these skeletons, it was unlikely that the other wizards would stand a chance.

"We're already late- let's get going." Kibo told the old man, nodding to the front door.

"Yes ma'am." He said, and followed her out the door as the Guild Hall erupted yet again into conversation.

It was a cold night, the air dry and quiet on this late evening. It was nearing 11 PM, and the crescent moon hung high above them with a strangely ominous glow, the stars around it twinkling in dismay.

"Natsu's going to be okay." The wizard said after a few minutes of walking in silence, noticing her solemn expression. "He's a tough kid. The toughest I know, in fact."

"I know. I was the one that healed him." She said frankly, her eyes set dead ahead and avoiding his questioning gaze.

"You seemed pretty upset when you saw him. It must have been scary seeing someone you care about so injured." He said, and she couldn't help but bark out a laugh. She'd witnessed the slaughter of so many people, including her friends and loved ones, and seeing a guy she liked with a few scrapes was supposed to rattle her?

"I find out that my brother is alive, and there are other survivors of my village… only, instead of reaching out to me, they stalk and hunt down the members of my guild. My friends." She said, the tone of her voice putting Macao on edge. "I watched my family and countless others die at the hands of a sadistic dragon; how ironic the survivors decide to kill off my new family."

"Kibo," He said, stopping and turning towards her. The woman paused as well, mimicking his movements. "No matter how powerful they are, they won't win. We're all strong and capable wizards that look out for each other- we're a family. As long as we stick together, not even a hundred skeletons will be able to take us down."

She stared at him for a moment, surprised by his words, and eventually let a grin encompass her face. "Good. I don't think I can handle losing another family." The brunette said, and started walking again, her hands moving back to her pockets.

When they finally made it to the house, Kibo knocked on the large door. The house was only 2 stories, but it was a very fancy and economic home. Solar panels on the roof, intricately designed yard ornaments- they could tell that the owners were very wealthy.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a butler. "Come in, the masters are waiting for you." He said, and gestured for them to enter.

"What kind of job is this again?"

"Babysitting. The parents are overprotective of their kid, so they made a job request with Fairy Tail." She explained.

8.

"Bickslow? What are you doing back so early?" Mirajane asked the young man, confused by his early arrival. The rest of the guild was still talking about what happened with Natsu and the others, all of them riled up and contributing theories about the attack.

"The job was a fake. Halfway there I got ambushed by a bunch of weirdos." He explained, and the woman gasped.

"Did they look like skeletons?"

"Yeah, actually. They were using possession magic to put their souls into them, so it was pretty easy to take them down." He explained, getting the attention of several other wizards. "Anywho, I'm-"

"They attacked you too!? Are they trying to start a war with us?!"

"Natsu and his team were attacked by them, but Natsu got hurt pretty bad. Kibo had to heal him." Mirajane told him, and beneath his helmet his eyebrows raised, surprised by this knowledge.

"They did seem less interested in me when they confirmed I wasn't a dragonslayer…" He commented, looking across the room and noticing a sleeping Natsu for the first time. The pink-haired wizard seemed to be stirring, though, and waking up.

"They call themselves the 'Avengers of Skeleton Village'." Mirajane told him, causing him to turn and look at her in surprise.

"Skeleton Village? You mean Kibo's hometown?"

"We think so. She seemed pretty upset when she saw Natsu. Poor girl."

"Where is she now?"

"She had a job in town. Macao went with her as back up." She replied, wondering if his curiosity was simply as a concerned friend or something more.

"Give me the address. If these guys are from the same town as her, there's a good chance that she's next."

"They're only targeting dragonslayers." Erza spoke, joining the conversation after eavesdropping. "Macao is with her. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"If they targeted me, and I'm guessing caused those injuries on you, what makes you think they're limiting their attacks to dragonslayers?"

9.

Kibo stood there, her eyes wide in disbelief, staring at the little girl that bounced down the steps.

' _You've played with her long enough.'_ The Dragon's voice echoed in her mind. ' _Now is the time to kill her. You must not feel sympathy for your toys.'_

' _But I don't want to.'_

' _You will do as I say, daughter. You don't want to disappoint me again, do you? Aren't you daddy's little girl?'_

The little girl had long brown hair that bounced with her walk, with an extra skip in her step. She was wearing a white and blue frilly dress, a fabric doll in her arm, and ran at full speed towards Kibo with her arms out wide. "Yay!" The girl cheered, crashing into the older woman's legs and wrapping her arms around them.

Kibo hesitantly put a shaky hand on the girl's head, petting the soft hair.

Just like her brother, she didn't sense an actual body from her, just magic from the earth.

"Take care of our daughter for us!" A woman yelled from the top of the stairs, adorned in a beautiful orange gown, looking as if she were going to a fancy opera. Next to her, a handsome man stood with his arm reaching behind his wife, a kind smile on his face. He was wearing a tux, clean and pristine, not a wrinkle in sight.

They both descended the steps together, oblivious to Kibo's terrified expression.

' _All of your toys will eventually die.'_ The dragon spoke, and devoured the man in one gulp. His wife cried, her sorrowful howls filling the air and echoing through the night sky. ' _It's your turn. Put her out of her misery.'_

"This is a trap." She finally spoke, snapping out of her reverie and pushing the little girl away.

"What makes you say that?"

"They're all dead." She said simply, getting into a fighting stance.

"Well… that's definitely a good clue." He said, readying his own fighting stance.

A strange metal thing popped out of the ground, looking almost like a snake in its movement, and headed towards Kibo. Another one did the same and went after Macao. Both of the objects were lightning fast yet only a few inches long.

"What the hell are those!?" Macao yelled, trying to jump away from the small device, but failing to get out of its way in time. Kibo was in a similar predicament, as the small device wrapped around her leg and started glowing red, while his glowed green.

"Why are they glowing…?" She asked, having a bad feeling about it.

The family slowly melted into the ground, and in their place, metal skeletons rose. "And what is your element, dragonslayer?" One of them asked, its dark and empty eyes staring into her wide ones.

"These must be the devices Erza talked about… it must be registering Natsu's magic on you." Macao spoke, and she nodded, watching as four more skeletons emerged from the shadows, their shiny metal bones reflecting against the chandelier. "Kibo, run! They think you're a dragonslayer, so they're going to try and kill you!"

But she couldn't move.

"How did you know my family was dead, I wonder?" The lead skeleton asked, striding towards her, making no sound. She could sense strange magic from him, but was unable to distinguish just what made it so odd. It almost reminded her of Bickslow's 'babies'.

As Macao tried to stand and run at him, a tree root came up from the ground, breaking the tile and pinning down his legs. Instantly he was weakened, his magic being drained away and sucked into the ground. "Kibo, run!" He tried to yell at her, to try and snap her out of her daze.

The 4th Guild Master yelled out to her, even after the skeleton reached forward and stabbed its long boney fingers into her chest, watching as the woman made no movement or struggle.

"Snap out of it!"

She looked down, her wide brown eyes watching in curiosity as the skeleton's hand delved deeper into her chest cavity, while the other cupped the side of her face. When her gaze slowly crawled up the arm of her assailant, the metallic bones shining ominously against the full moon, she eventually locked eyes with pure darkness within empty eye sockets.

"I am death. I am the reaper of Skeleton Village." The metal skeleton spoke, the only color being the blood of his current victim that splattered across him. "I am your brother, the spirit of vengeance."

The spell caused blades to pierce through her entire body, everywhere from her feet to her head, causing instant death. Macao cried out to her, tears falling from his eyes at the sight of large blades piercing her small body. One of them protruded from her mouth, extending far enough to almost touch the metal skull.

"Your evil shall no longer walk this Earth."

Kibo stood there, her corpse held up by the skeleton's hand and the tree that slowly began enveloping her.

Suddenly, her hand reached up, gently grabbing the back of his neck. She bit down, causing the blade to break, and used her magic to cough up the large blade. "You can't… how did-"

She pulled him towards her, so that his skull was next to hers, and blocked her face from her guild member. "Your parents wanted me to give you a message." She whispered, her voice raspy and blood magic having to shift the blades still in her body to allow for speech. "They wanted me to tell you- on the remote chance that you escaped- that they loved you. That they wanted you to live a full, happy, wonderful life to honor the people that were lost. To honor them."

"You're lying-"

"They wanted you to get married, have children… get that dog, Pepper, that you always wanted."

"Shut up!" The skeleton screamed, pulling out of her grasp and readying a sword that morphed from his bones. "Let's see if you can survive getting your head chopped off!" He screamed, a frantic and terrified quiver in his voice as he raised the blade above his head.

But then, as the blade descended to her neck, froze merely an inch away from her skin.

"Bickslow! Natsu!" Macao yelled, and the woman sighed, not sure whether to be happy or sad.

The skeleton man disappeared.

Even if it was pointless, it probably would have made the guy feel good to chop her head off. After killing his family, she practically wanted him to win in getting his vengeance. Well, against her specifically, with no other casualties.

The blood magic started working on her, breaking the metal protrusions and pushing them out of her body; including the hand that had remained in the center of her chest. "I thought you were done for." Macao said, running over to her after his binds had relinquished their grip. Two other wizards, Bickslow and Natsu ran over to her.

"Where are they!? I wanted to fight them again, damn it!" The fire dragonslayer yelled, only to be lectured by Macao.

"You okay?" The seith mage asked, crouching down to eye level and glancing at the wounds across her body, trying not to linger his gaze on her chest. Although her breasts were still covered, the stab wounds between them left large holes in the fabric.

She was sitting on her butt, legs folded at her sides, and smiling at him. The tree that had bound her before was now dying quickly. "Yeah. Are you?"

"They use the same possession magic I use… well, almost. Close enough anyway. I simply severed their lock on these bones so that they can't control them for a while. We have a few hours at least."

The metal devices on their ankles broke, fell off, and became absorbed into the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area and heard Macao yelling." He said with a shrug.

"And you happened to be wandering around with Natsu? You guys are buddies now? And I thought you were on a mission?"

"And you happen to be covered in stab wounds and have a pissed off Guild Master staring at you right now." He told her, and she blinked, wondering what he meant.

"How the hell are you alive? And why didn't you move out of the way when he attacked you!?" Macao asked, his voice stern as he used his parenting voice, hands on his hips.

"… high tolerance for pain?" She answered awkwardly, only to start getting lectured for being careless… again. It wasn't her first lecture from Macao about safety, and it was hardly going to be the last. She could still sense the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and knew that his yelling at the moment was less about her and more about his fear at watching her die.

10.

"I'm so glad that you're okay!" Evergreen said, pulling the young woman closer to her and pulling her face into her chest, causing the younger woman to grumble and try to escape the death grip. At least she wasn't wearing armor like Erza, but still- they were so large it was like a death trap.

"Are you trying to suffocate her?" Porlyusica stated, and despite her glares, the fairy woman ignored them and continued to smother the young girl. After a few more moments of hugging, she eventually let go, smiling at the brunette.

"We're all glad that you're okay, Kibo. The Thunder Legion wouldn't be the same without you." Fried told her, Laxus nodding from his side, and causing the green-haired mage to internally cheer.

"Macao said that you didn't fight back, though. Mind telling us what that was about?" Laxus asked, causing the fairy woman to glare at him.

"She was attacked by a bunch of creepy, walking, talking skeletons! She was probably frozen in fear!" Evergreen spoke in Kibo's defense, trying to keep from smothering the younger girl in her bosoms again.

"I wasn't under the impression that you scared easily." Laxus told her, eyeing the smile that spread across Kibo's face. Like the others, whenever he looked at her he couldn't help but remember the little 12 year old that they found in the forest. Although he hadn't spent much time with her back then, very little in fact, he did remember that she seemed unafraid of most things. Spiders, bugs, snakes, a dead animal that they happened across in their travels- she was a tough cookie, and it was hard for him to grasp that she would be frozen in fear by a few skeletons.

"I wasn't afraid of the skeletons." She said simply. "The family that I was supposed to work for wore the faces of dead friends, and the skeleton that attacked me was their son."

"You poor thing!" Evergreen pined, and pulled the woman into another hug, causing her to open up several stitches.

"You all are hindering her recovery. Leave." The old woman stated, glaring at them.

"But we can't leave her alone! What if she's attacked again!?"

"Bickslow can stay. The rest of you leave."

"Why does he get to stay!?" Evergreen whined, despite her terror for the ferocious and scary woman.

"Because he's not opening her stitches and if I recall, can actually defend her with his magic." She said, and out of her line of vision Bickslow stuck her tongue out at Evergreen, causing both women to glare at him. "Out!"

The pink-haired woman used her broom to kick out the young wizards, all of whom wished Kibo well before evacuating the premises.

"Care to tell me why you're lying about your dragonslayer magic?" The healer asked once the others were out of hearing range. Both Bickslow and her looked at her in surprise, not expecting it. "Don't act all surprised. Dragonslayers have very distinct magic; and since you're proficient in blood magic, you don't need me to tell you that. The only thing I can't figure out is why you don't heal yourself on your own."

After the initial shock of having her secret out, Kibo sighed, and then smiled at her. "Their magic nullified most of mine, making me unable to heal on my own. It will take some time to replace the non-magical tissue with magical tissue."

"Why are these… skeletons, attacking Fairy Tail? Are they targeting you?"

"Since I am the student of the dragon that killed my village, it makes sense that they would want revenge by killing me. But their actions don't make sense."

"How so?"

"I'm sure that one of them is my brother, who I've been seeing around town the past few weeks. His magic has been strange, as if he's simply an extension of the earth, and when Macao and I went on the job this evening, the family had the same magic. In the day, my brother knows who I am, but the skeletons seemed to have no clue."

"Hm…" The old woman hummed, her gaze moving to the floor as she contemplated her words. Bickslow remained quiet in the corner, silently absorbing the information they were exchanging. "It sounds like an ancient spell called 'Death Exchange'. I didn't think that humans could cast it."

"What is it?" Kibo asked, surprisingly calmed by the woman's presence. Despite her scary disposition, it reminded her oddly of her childhood, which in this case made her feel better. The dragon that trained her may have been a cold-blooded, sadistic, crazy murderer, but he was strong and she knew that by his side was the safest place in the world.

Her magic felt strangely like a dragon's, which enforced the comfort Kibo felt. "It's a spell that allows the caster to become invincible at night, but a shadow of themselves during the day. Their memories are fractured between those dual selves, so what one half knows, the other is unaware."

"Interesting…" Kibo commented, looking down at her hands. "Their skeleton selves don't know about me, but their other selves do. It must be frustrating for them."

"Indeed." The woman nodded.

"Will you tell the others about my magic?" The brunette suddenly asked, looking back up at her.

"Do you have a good reason why I shouldn't?"

"If they know about my power, they may want me to use it in the future. If that happens, many people's lives will be at risk."

"You believe your magic is that dangerous?"

"Most definitely." She replied, her voice dead serious. "I've only been able to stay sane all of these years by forgetting my training. There's no telling what will happen if I actually implement it."

"… Alright. I'll keep your secret for now. But they're going to find out eventually."

"Thank you, Porliyusica." She said, bowing her head.

After giving her a last look over, and healing up the stitches that Evergreen had opened, Porlyusica retired to home next door. The two wizards, Kibo and Bickslow, were left alone.

He pulled up his chair so that he could sit next to her and took his hood off for the first time that day. His hair was surprisingly tame, slick back from wearing this hood all day. Slouched, tired looking, and resting his elbows on his knees, he looked up at the injured woman.

"Why doesn't the old hag yell at you?" He asked suddenly, causing her to giggle.

"Because I don't talk back to her." She said simply. "People like her demand respect, so I give it to her."

He didn't say anything for a moment, and instead they just stared at each other, studying each other's features. They both looked tired, but Kibo still had a ghost of a grin on her face, appearing content and comfortable. "I shouldn't have kissed you last night."

"Is that why you ran off?"

"You're like a little sister to me… it was stupid of me to try and make us something we're not."

"You're right. I like you better as a big brother." She lied, smiling at him.

"And as your big brother, I'm forbidding you from hurting yourself." He said, his tone suddenly shifting from soft to harsh, making her feel like a child again.

"You're not the boss of me."

"No, but I can tell the rest of Fairy Tail. Either kick the bad habit on your own, or feel the wrath of the entire guild making you quit."

"You suck." She said, furrowing her brows at him and glaring.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Addictions_

"This is torture." Kibo said, groaning as she slumped forward and rested her head on her folded arms. It had been a week since the attack, and her wounds had fully healed—as a result, she was fully healed for the first time in years, and thus fully aware of everything.

Every wizard's breath, magic flow, heart beat, digestion, vocal sounds- everything. She felt spread out, spacey, and so unbearably aware she just wanted to slaughter every person here just to make it stop.

Cut out their entrails, slice their brains into tiny-

"Get used to it." Bickslow retorted, not feeling bad for her predicament.

"What's wrong with Kibo?" Macao asked, noticing that she'd been rather mopey and spacey since she arrived 20 minutes ago.

"She's cutting soda from her diet. She's addicted to the stuff." Bickslow told him.

"I didn't know she drank soda."

"It's a closet addiction. Her entire fridge is packed with them- she barely has any food in there, just soda." The wizard answered for her.

"How long has she been without it?"

"6 days and 4 hours…" She muttered, trying to relax despite the overload of her senses. When she had been trained to utilize these senses, she was only around a few living people at a time, and having miles upon miles of empty forest to dilute the sounds.

The Guild Hall was packed that day.

"That's rough. I had no idea you were addicted."

"She'll get through it. Right, Kibo? Right." He said, patting her on the back and causing her to glare at him.

A familiar magic appeared outside of the guild. She sat up, her eyes staring through the wall at the intruder, almost thankful for the distraction. Now that her senses were ultra-heightened, she could identify their magic much better. It was night, so they were in skeleton form, and she could ascertain everything about them.

How they moved, what spells they used, how their magic was drawn from the Earth at very specific rates and intervals- everything.

They entered through the front door, and at the sight of them, the entire Guild Hall stopped. Silence erupted, eyes locking onto the strange wizards. "We're sorry for attacking you. We come in peace." One of them spoke, stepping forward.

"You attack my children, and then come here expecting us to believe you're peaceful?"

"We only wish to talk with Kibo. We apologize for being so violent before- we've had our memories… altered, recently, so we've been a bit unstable. We hope that you forgive us." The lead skeleton spoke, and all of them bowed.

"It's been a long time, bro." Kibo said, grinning at him and trying to ignore the adrenaline spike within everyone. "Let's go outside and chat."

"I'll go with you." Bickslow said, joining her in standing, but then she pushed him down.

"I'll be fine." She said, already maneuvering to the skeletons.

"I don't like this." Erza stated. "Why the sudden change in heart?" She asked the skeletons.

"Something Kibo told me at our last encounter…" One of the skeletons spoke. "She knew my parents."

"Our village was slaughtered 20 years ago. Give them a break." Kibo told the rest of her Guild.

"I want a rematch!" Natsu declared as he jumped forward, but Kibo placed a hand on his chest to diminish his movements.

"Maybe after I talk with them, alright?" She said with a soft smile, trying to ignore the tasty blood within her grasp. "Let's go outside. After you." The brunette told them, and despite the uneasiness of the other wizards, the small group left the Guild Hall together.

"Do you think this is wise, Makarov?" Erza asked the Guild Master.

He shrugged. "She won't be far. If she needs help, we'll be here."

Kibo cast a silencing charm around them when they were several yards from the building, hidden within a group of trees. "I just cast a silencing charm so that we can talk without being listened in on. Everything we say in normal tones will be silent, but anything above that like a yell or scream will be heard."

"You're a blood dragonslayer." Her brother spoke, all of the skeletons staring at her.

"Unfortunately. I've been pretty successful in not using that magic since my teacher departed though… that is, until I had to use it to save Evergreen, who you attacked."

"Our goal is not to harm innocent people." One of them spoke, looking at her pointedly even without his flesh to express it.

"I understand why you want me dead. I deserve death, for what I've done."

"So why haven't you killed yourself?"

"I've tried." She said, shoving her hands into her pockets awkwardly and looking up at the branches above them. "Hanging, stabbing, falling, electrocution- you name it. My blood magic always kicks in and revives me."

"So if we tried to kill you," One of them spoke.

"You'd let us?" Another finished.

"If you hadn't attacked my guild, most definitely. But if you killed me, there's a chance that you would turn around and kill my friends, too. I can't allow that."

"They were never our target." Two of them spoke in unison.

"Nevertheless, I'm not about to leave my Guild defenseless against the likes of you." She told them, and a few seconds of silence passed. "If you can find a way to guarantee the safety of my guild after my passing, I'll let you try and kill me."

"You'll 'let us'? We're not made of blood, you can't control us." One of them retorted, but when they tried to move towards her, found themselves immobile.

Frozen in place, unable to move, they stared at the blood dragonslayer with their shadowed and hollowed eyes. "I don't just control blood… I also control magic."

"We trained for years… spent so much time looking for a way to get around blood control…" One of them spoke, and when she released them, several of them fell to their knees. "All of it was pointless."

"It's not too late to keep living. I may never find true happiness or escape for my crimes, but you all have a chance at life." She said with a smile.

"You don't understand… this spell- once we accomplish our goal, we disappear." One of them explained. "There is no happiness, or way of breaking this spell."

"Why not join a wizard guild? They're used to having unusual wizards, and when you join, you can ask around and search for resources to undo your spell." Kibo suggested. "I will never be able to repay any of you for the pain I've put you through. For the blood I shed with the dragon."

"We will never stop looking for a way to kill you." One of them spoke, this time the voice sounding more feminine. "You will pay for destroying our village. The dragon came on the day of your birth."

"It did?" Kibo asked, surprised. "I thought it came later."

"No." Her brother spoke. "It came on the day of your birth, which is why our parents named you 'faith'. They prayed that the dragon would leave, and had faith that your arrival would mark the departure of the dragon. Instead, we were slaves to the monster for 5 years, before it got tired and slaughtered us like sheep."

Kibo stared at him, her eyes wide, staring at the metallic man. "I can't… I'm not the reason. He told me that he came to village because it was convenient, nothing else."

"So it was just coincidence that he came to our village the day of your birth, and then kept you as his student? As his pet?" The woman asked, her voice seething.

Kibo sighed. "I'm already guilty of so many things, why not tag on the slaughter of our entire village? Should make it a full, round number. Instead of just being forced to murder, dissect, cannibalize, and torture survivors, I'm responsible for bringing the most sadistic dragon in existence to our village and ending thousands of lives. Instead, now it's just 'everyone died because of me'. That's a lot easier to say."

"We will leave your guild alone for several months and look for a better way to kill you. That time away from your guild will show our good faith to leave them alone after your death." The woman spoke, and Kibo nodded.

"Fine, whatever. Sounds like a plan."

1.

"Want a soda?" Bickslow asked from the kitchen, internally laughing at the irony of it.

She didn't say anything, and instead opted for just laying there, on the couch, resting her head against the pillow. Her eyes were closed, body spread across the couch and hair sprawled across the pillow.

"You've been extra quiet today. You okay?" The wizard asked, walking over to her and eyeing the sickly expression on her face. He pressed his hand on her forehead, surprised at how warm it was. "I've never seen you sick before."

She opened her eyes, sighing, to look at his tattooed face.

"You have a pretty bad fever."

Kibo closed her eyes again.

2.

"Thanks for doing this, Wendy. I know it's a bit out of your way…" Bickslow thanked, holding the door open as Wendy, Carla, Warren, Natsu and Happy entered the apartment.

"So this is Kibo's place, huh? I thought there would be more… flowers, or something." Natsu spoke, noticing the tribal themed artwork, especially a wooden statue of an elephant.

"Aye… tribal doesn't quite match her personality." Happy spoke, landing on his partner's head.

"Don't be so rude, you two. We're here to comfort Kibo, not judge her living arrangements. I happen to think it looks nice." Carla spoke.

"No, it looks great, I just meant… nevermind." Natsu spoke, turning to look at the brunette laying on the couch with a blanket over her.

"She's been like this for almost two days. Her fever has been getting worse, she doesn't talk, won't eat or drink anything." Bickslow explained, watching as Wendy crouched down to eyelevel with the woman and tried to look at her face, which was shielded by hair.

"Is she depressed?" Carla asked.

"I've never even seen Kibo sad. She's always so upbeat." Warren commented, standing by the window and still looking around the apartment.

"She does have a fever…" Wendy commented, resting her hand against Kibo's forehead and then cheeks.

"Did this start after she talked with those skeletons?" Natsu asked, and Bickslow nodded.

"Yeah, but she's insistent that it's not them. From what she will say, it has nothing to do with them." He replied.

"She could be lying to cover for them." Warren commented.

"Wasn't she cutting soda out of her diet recently? Maybe it's just withdrawal symptoms?" Carla asked.

"Hey Bickslow, is it normal for her eyes to be red?" Wendy asked, and he nodded.

"I've seen them red before. It has something to do with her magic."

"She seems to be really low on magic. Maybe something's wrong with her healing magic." She commented. "I can't sense a virus or anything foreign attacking her body from the inside, but her body does seem out of sync and low on nutrients, but I suspect that's from not eating."

3.

Bickslow bullied her into going to the Guild Hall the next day, convinced that she was faking it. When they got there Mirajane made her a plate of food, and the seith mage made her eat it by threatening to tell the others about her little 'habit'. The little martial artist may have been stubborn enough to not eat at home when they were alone, but she was easy to succumb to peer pressure at the Guild Hall.

"You don't look too good, Kibo." Romeo commented, sitting next to the young girl and eyeing the man across from her suspiciously.

"She's just experiencing withdrawal symptoms. She'll be fine." Bickslow commented, and took a drink from his water, very aware of the accusatory looks his way. He knew how it looked, but he'd be damned if let her keep hurting herself. His comrades could think whatever the hell they wanted.

"Maybe you shouldn't be cutting soda cold turkey, Kibo. Like, just slowly cut it out of your diet." The younger mage suggested, looking at the woman with worried eyes. He'd been working with her for the past 7 years, and after what the Guild had been through, had gotten exceptionally close to her over the years. Ever since Bickslow arrived, she seemed to be getting sick and irritable all the time, contrary to her usual happy self.

"I'll be fine…" She muttered, tiredly pushing the noodles on her plate around with her fork.

"Maybe Porleuscia should look at her. Maybe she has something for addiction problems." Wendy suggested as she walked over to them, looking at the brunette with similar concern.

"No thanks. I'll just… push through it." Kibo muttered, and shoved a few noodles into her mouth, slowly chewing on them and then swallowing. "I'm going to work at Mermaid Heel today. No boys allowed." She said, giving Bickslow a pointed look. The man glared beneath his visor, annoyed that she was playing his game against her, but made no visible show of it. Now that she had publicly announced her plans, if he followed her, it would look suspicious and the other guild members would interfere.

"What kind of job are you going to do?" He asked, trying to act normally.

"Escort mission. Should be easy enough." She replied, and took another bite of her food, silently challenging him.

"Sounds fun. Hope you have fun with all your girlfriends." He said with a wide grin. "Since you seem to be feeling better, I might do a job with Fried or Ever."

4.

That night, the Guild Hall was having yet another party. No one really knew why they were celebrating, but with Fairy Tail, they never needed a reason.

Natsu was dancing on a table, shaking his butt and making the other guild members laugh, while a fight was breaking out elsewhere. Various activities were going on at once, but almost all of them included drinking.

When Kibo arrived, she slipped in through the back door and located Mirajane, who was behind the bar preparing drinks. Bickslow happened to be nearby, and when he saw the young woman enter the bar area, eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Mira," The brunette spoke, getting the mage's attention. "I'm going camping for a week, so I won't be doing any jobs."

"Where are you camping?"

"I haven't decided. Somewhere without people."

"Are you taking anyone with you?"

"No."

"How'd your mission with Mermaid Heel go?"

"I got kicked out. I'm not allowed to do missions with them again." She said, and Mira looked at her surprised, pausing in her movements.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. Don't let anyone contact me unless it's an emergency, okay?"

"Where you going?" An all too familiar voice asked, the matching body coming up from behind her and standing next to her, leaning against the counter. Bickslow sipped the drink in his hands, giving the girl an inquisitive look, wondering why she was skipping town. "Is it a party? Can you bring a plus one?"

"No, and no." She said, but as she turned to leave, the seith mage grabbed her arm.

"You weren't hurt on your mission today, were you?" He asked, slightly peeved by the anger in the woman's eyes. They were bright red, as they'd been for the past few days, and it added to the emotion in her eyes. He was trying to help her and she was mad at him?

"Tch, no. Now get your hand off of me."

"What happened?"

"Either move your hand or you're going to get a bloody nose." She warned him, her eyes serious and bloodthirsty. The harshness of her words caught him offguard, having never seen her so angry by such a small gesture.

"Is there a problem here?" Macao asked as he approached them, giving Bickslow a reproachful look. The mage knew that his abilities paled in comparison to the soul possession wizard, but it didn't mean he wouldn't put up a fight if necessary.

Bickslow let go of the woman's arm and watched her leave, an annoyed frown on the visible part of his face.

"Ya know, before you came back, I don't remember her ever drinking soda. She eats extremely healthy, and even helped me find healthy recipes to cook for Romeo back in the day."

"Closet addiction. Believe me, man, I'm just trying to look out for her." The man said honestly, turning towards the shorter and older wizard.

"So am I. She's like a daughter to me, and if I find out that you've been doing anything-"

"Save the speech, old man. I have no intention of hurting her." Bickslow told him, and already bored of the conversation, turned with a new drink in hand and walked back to his table in the corner of the room. When he sat down, Evergreen and Fried were giving him curious glances, having seen the transaction moments ago. They hadn't heard the conversation, but they could sense the hostility from across the room.

After a moment of sitting there with his drink, the seith mage noticed their staring.

"What?" He snapped.

"It's just… what's going on between you and Kibo?" Evergreen asked, unsure about how to approach the topic.

"I'm trying to help her, and you people are acting like I'm abusing her." He accused, narrowing his eyes at them.

"You have been a bit… odd, with her, since we returned." Fried admitted. "And she looked upset when you grabbed her arm back there."

"Something went wrong with her mission at Mermaid Heel today, and she was talking about leaving for a random camping trip. On her own. In the middle of nowhere. It's not like her." He told them, surprising both of them with the information.

"What went wrong?" Ever asked, and he shrugged.

"She wouldn't say, but she seemed upset. I would go after her, but after Macao gave me the shotgun speech, I suspect people will just think I have ulterior motives." He said, glaring at his comrades who smiled awkwardly at him. "She's probably going to relapse."

"She could have worse addictions. It's not the worst thing in the world if she has a soda." Evergreen commented, watching her teammate's sour expression with intrigue.

Bickslow grumbled something under his breath, and then took a sip of his drink.

Later that night, when he got back to Kibo's apartment, he was surprised to find that she hadn't left yet. He wasn't surprised, however, when he saw the blood trail leading to the bathroom. After quietly closing the front door behind him, he had his babies power down on the coffee table, and then walked over to the small room that she hid.

The tall man leaned against the frame of the doorway, annoyed by the calm expression on her face. She seemed unnaturally relaxed in the white and blue room, her blood pooling on the tile beneath her. Her back was resting against the wall, knees bent in front of her, and hands relaxed at her sides. A large blade was in one of her hands.

"Feel better?"

She smiled, and brown eyes looked up at him. "I didn't hear you come in." She commented, and watched him tip toe around the blood to sit on the edge of the bathtub. He lifted one of his feet to rest on the toilet, while the other rested awkwardly on a small magazine holder.

Still adorned in his fighting outfit, he couldn't allow himself to take his visor off. Letting her see the hurt in his eyes would be too much right then.

"Are you going to tell?" Her voice was calm, and although didn't sound weak, was softer than usual. She seemed unfazed by any pain in her body.

"I'm thinking about it." He spoke, watching the sadness reach her eyes, and then her gaze turn to the sink in front of her.

"I suppose it'll be a necessary evil. I can't afford to lose control like that again." She spoke, closing her eyes and sighing.

"What do you mean?"

"I hurt a lot of people today. If I did this again, I would inevitably hurt people at our guild." She spoke, and the words caused him to furrow his brows in confusion.

"There has to be a better way to manage your anger than cutting yourself."

"It's not anger that sets me off." She said, still eerily calm. "I lose control over my magic. When I first learned my magic, I was trained to torture and murder people. I've tried to forget that magic, but it's so engrained into my blood that the only way I can contain it is by harming myself instead of others."

"So it's not an emotional thing? It's purely a magic thing?"

"There's a second reason I do it." Her eyes were still closed. "But it's a bit more personal."

"Is that so?" He asked, unable to think of anything better to say. Blood pooling on the ground kept him distracted, and it was difficult to wrap his head around any of it.

"For the record, I enjoyed that kiss." Kibo spoke, causing him to look back at her face. Eyes still closed, yet a smile tugged at her pink lips. "Both of them."

"It's a weird time to bring that up." He told her, shifting his position but crying out in surprise when he fell back into the tub, hitting his head against his wall in the process. Cursing, he tried to get back up again, slipping in the process and hitting his head against the wall again.

Using her blood magic, Kibo caused the blood on the floor to gather and levitate in the air, floating over to the sink and into the drain. As the excessive blood started cleaning up, she stood and walked over to him, holding out a hand.

Reluctantly he accepted the offer, and she helped him get out of the porcelain object. After awkwardly getting out of it, they both remained standing in front of each other.

"So there's nothing I can say to make you stop this?" He asked, looking down at her. In the small room there wasn't much space for them, so she was much closer than they would be in a normal conversation. Their hands were still locked. "Not even kisses?"

"Sorry." She replied, blushing when he stepped closer to her and backed her into the sink.

"Are you sure about that?" Bickslow asked, and leaned down so that his mouth was next to her ear. His tongue slipped out and caressed the edge of her lobe, and when she squirmed beneath him, his hands shot out and grabbed her hips to keep them still. "I can't convince you to find… alternative habits?" He whispered, and closed the small gap between their bodies, causing the woman's breath to hitch slightly.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Bixy?" She asked him, the use of his old nickname catching him off guard. Hips pressed against his crotch at just the right angle, and he suppressed an appreciative groan. "Seducing me into quitting my… 'habit', as you call it?"

"Anything to make you stop hurting yourself."

"At the cost of the people's lives around me?"

"I think you're being a bit dramatic, and haven't explored enough options, sweetie." He said, trying to keep his hands still on her hips as his plan backfired on him. Her body was surprisingly receptive to his advances, and her very warm breasts felt awfully nice against his chest. That was the second time that day that she used his tactics against him.

"'Sweetie'?" She purred in his ear, and making him blush. "Since when do you call me 'sweetie'?"

"Do you like it?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I might like it better if I could see your face." Kibo commented, reminding the seith mage that he was still in uniform.

Trying to regain control, his tongue shot out again and licked her ear, but then moved down her neck. Avoiding the spots with blood, he eventually landed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck, smirking at the subtle reactions he was getting from her. His attention was completely on her; noticing the small hitches in her breath, the way her hands shook and awkwardly moved to his waist, and how her back arched slightly into him.

"I take it that you're over the whole 'big brother' role?" She spoke, her voice quivering beneath him.

"Tch," He huffed. "That's self-explanatory." For emphasis he nudged her hip with his growing erection, slightly surprised at how much her muscles tensed beneath him. "You okay?"

"O-of course."

"Right, virgin." He muttered, mentally kicking himself for forgetting that. Trying to step back, he found himself stuck, two hands keeping him in place.

"Why does that change anything?"

"It changes everything." Bickslow replied, now looking down at her flustered face through his visor. The brunette tried to lean in and kiss him, but given the height difference, he easily moved his face out of her grasp. He grinned at her.

"Oh come on."

"After all the death glares I've been getting the past few days, you deserve it." He said, sticking his tongue out her and removing her hands from his waist. "I even got a lecture from Macao _and_ my teammates after you left the Guild Hall."

"You… you…"

"Night, Kibo." He said with a grin, and left the bathroom, leaving a flustered young mage staring after him.

5.

"You seem in good spirits. Anything happen last night?" Mira asked the next day, happy that the young girl seemed to be feeling better, not to mention physically healthy again. "Did you decide against camping?"

Kibo took a sip from the Sprite can in her hand. "I thought I'd come here and see if there were any jobs in the woods that I could take, so that I could get paid while getting out of town."

"Now that you mention it, I got a job request a few hours ago that fits the description. I haven't had a minute to put it on the job wall." She replied, and pulled out a job flier from under the bar. The brunette looked at the paper, reading over the description with a grin.

6.

Bickslow woke up to the sound of the front door opening, and grunted at the prospect of waking up. The blankets were warm, pillow was comfy, and couch cushions were surprisingly… well, actually, the couch wasn't that comfortable. Sleep was nice, though.

"Where'd you go this morning?" He asked her tiredly, not bothering to open his eyes or move. Footsteps pattered around the small apartment, and the sound of opening and closing kitchen cabinets reached his ears. "Shopping?"

"I went to the guild, and stopped by the grocery store on my way home. I'm leaving for a job in an hour or two."

"What kind of job?"

"Taking out a monster in the Phoenix Mountains."

"Phoenix Mountains? Seriously?" He asked, sitting up and looking at her, his eyes squinting against the light and hair sticking up in various directions. Kibo chuckled from her spot in the kitchen, amused by his morning hair. "Who are you going with?"

"No one. It's a solo mission."

"Like hell you are. That area is haunted as hell, and there's poltergeist traps everywhere. Why did Mira give you the job?"

"I've been to the Phoenix Mountains on my own before. I've never had any trouble."

"Then you're lucky to not be dead. What the hell is Mira thinking?" He asked, and then yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Hey, I grew by the Phoenix Mountains, remember? Hell, it's probably my dead village that haunts most of it."

"I'm going with you." He said decidedly, but before she could argue with him, he was already leaping over the back of the couch and headed to the bathroom to shower.

7.

"You're still mad at me for last night, aren't you?"

She sighed, avoiding his overly inquisitive stare that got closer and closer to her face. "No, I'm annoyed that you just 'decided' that you're coming with me on this mission."

"More money I make, the sooner I can move out of your place. There's actually a nice place down the street that opened up, and I'm thinking about taking."

"Really? That would be great."

"You're not going to miss me when I'm gone?"

"Do you really want me to list the reasons why you're a terrible roommate?"

"I'm terrible? You're one to talk. Getting up at ungodly hours and doing yoga at the break of dawn. Not to mention all the healthy crap you buy for 'food'."

"At least I'm quiet and do yoga in my room. You stay up late and randomly jump on my bed when you're bored."

"That was one time, and I was drunk."

"That was several times, and how does drinking make it okay to wake me up at 3 AM?"

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked, completely derailing the conversation and annoying her. An amused smirk graced his lips.

"I don't know. Fish if there's a river nearby."

"I brought supplies for curry." He said, happy when the familiar grin encompassed her face.

"What kind of curry?"

"Your favorite kind. Glad I came along?" He asked, and although he didn't get a verbal answer, watched the grin widen as she daydreamed about the meal.

8.

Bickslow confirmed on their trip some of his suspicions about her, and without the prying eyes of the guild, he could mess with her as much as he wanted.

He knew it was cruel, but as long as he did all the cooking, she seemed surprisingly compliant with his games. Teasing her, phrasing his sentences in specific ways to set her off, and overall toying with her to get reactions from her. Making sure to avoid landmine topics, such as details about her village or the dragon that raised her, he was able to get quite a bit of information from her.

On occasion, the tables would turn and she'd get the upper hand, but they were rare and few in between. It was more likely on their trip that he'd get her to say something she didn't mean to, or he'd take her words and spin it into a completely different meaning, making her cutely flustered.

If she honestly hated the attention, she would simply not react to his comments or be more adamant about her pleas for him to stop. When he stepped on the landmine conversation topics she would do so, but other than those rare times, she'd always play with him.

"You obviously like physical contact." He stated on their 4th day camping, sitting across from her at their small campfire. Their fish was cooking slowly on the fire by a pot of rice, and the smell of it was making them extra hungry after their day of backpacking. "Yet you claim to not like dating."

"It's just not my thing. I don't get how you don't get that."

"I heard that you made out with Natsu, so you're not just emotionally stuck on me."

"Why are you so _stuck_ on this topic?"

"You know why." He said with a mischievous smile, watching her hands fidget in her lap. "You like being around people, you like socializing… you seem relaxed in close proximity to people, and even when intimate with others, you don't seem nervous or unsure of yourself, despite your inexperience. The only things I can think of are that you're scared of people finding out about your cutting, or about your past."

"And you don't think those are good reasons?"

"No, I think they're good reasons, I just don't think they are _the_ reasons. You mentioned that cutting prevents your from hurting people, so perhaps you're afraid to be intimate because you're afraid of losing control?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to grin.

"I'm getting closer." He stated, watching her squirm awkwardly under his stare and redirect her gaze back to the fire. "It has something to do with your magic."

"Can you drop it?" She stammered, cheeks red and eyes on the pot of rice about to boil over. "I think the food is done."

Temporarily redirecting his attention to the food, he readied their plates and added a few extra spices to the fish and rice.

A few minutes later, after they both had a plate of food on their laps, Bickslow continued the conversation. Now that she had food in front of her, she would likely be more cooperative than before.

"You don't like getting close to people because you're afraid of hurting them." He wondered out loud, but got minimal reaction while she was eating. "You're also self-conscious about the cutting. Natsu is a strong wizard and could handle himself, though, so you'd have no problem with him if you lost control of your magic. In fact, if you dated strong wizards, they might find it a turn on to have your magic used on them during sex."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"It has something to do with sex." He said with a grin, and then took a bite of his food as her cheeks reddened. "Although, I suppose you could be blushing from the conversation topic. But I'm guessing it has to do with the sex thing."

"I'm eating food. Sex and food do not go together."

"You really are a virgin." He said with an amused chuckle, watching her cheeks turn even more red.

She went back to her food, devouring the rice and three fish that he had put on her plate.

"You really are a pervert." She said a few minutes later, causing the male to choke on his food, not expecting the comment.

Later that night, hours after they had fallen asleep, Bickslow woke up to a strange sound.

He sat up, his green eyes staring into the darkness of his tent, cold air causing goosebumps to rise along his exposed skin. Calling one of his souls back to a vessel, he used the light from Peppe to find a sweatshirt to put on. As he strained his ears against the silence, trying to figure out what the sound was, he realized it was coming from Kibo's tent.

After sitting there for a few seconds, he realized that it sounded like muffled crying.

"You okay?" He asked, hearing a muffled 'eep' from the girl, his voice likely startling her. "Are you crying?"

Silence.

Bickslow waited a few seconds, half of his body still in his sleepingbag and his soul floating close by.

"Did I make you upset?" He asked, wondering if he had pushed her too far the past few days. Despite his attention to detail, he wondered if he missed something, or pushed one of her buttons a little too far. "Kibo?"

She didn't say anything, and the silence was beginning to worry him.

"If you don't say anything, I'm going to come over and check on you. I'm worried about you."

"Worried because you're crying." His baby echoed. After another half a minute of waiting, and continuing to hear some muffled sobs, the seith mage removed himself from his sleeping bag and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Unzipping his tent, he flinched against the cold air, suddenly remembering why he always insists on getting hotel rooms when his team goes on jobs. Awkwardly searching for his sandals outside the tent, he slipped them on and then zipped the tentflap back to a close, pausing only to let his soul fly through.

"I-I'm f-f-f-fine." The woman stuttered when he was outside her tent.

"Well, I'm coming in to check on you anyway." He said, and unzipped her tent, letting his soul fly in so that he could see where he was going. Slipping off his sandals and precariously entering the small space, almost tripping over the shoe at the entrance, he closed the tent flap and then crawled over to the shaking form.

Kneeling next to her, he gently placed a hand on what he hoped was her shoulder, and tried to peer at her face in the darkness. Since she was curled up in fetal position and her hair blocked most of her features, not to mention the shadows cast across her face, he couldn't get a good look at her.

"If I did something to upset you, I'm sorry. I can be an asshole sometimes." He apologized, hoping that it was cease her shaking. As his eyes adjusted to the poor lighting, he realized that she was holding her hand over her mouth, likely trying to stay quiet. "Hey, you don't need to be quiet. I'm not going to judge you for crying. I've been guilty of it way too many times to hold it against anyone."

His hand itched to move to her face and remove the strands of hair sticking to it, but he was worried that the extra contact would send her over the edge. Since he had no idea why she was upset, he tried to keep his contact with her limited.

Wondering if the light was worsening her shakes, he deactivated Peppe and let his vessel lay in the corner of the small tent. Slowly, he lowered himself next to the shaking girl, propping his head with his folded arm. Free hand still resting on her shoulder, he moved it slowly up and down her arm.

A strangled cry escaped her throat, and he scooted closer to her, keeping his hand on her arm. "It's okay," He whispered, trying to comfort her.

9.

Bickslow woke up the next morning sore and cold, having fallen asleep on the woman's crappy, barely existent sleeping mat and no sleeping bag. The only warmth he felt was a sleeping brunette in his arms, who had snuggled up to him at some point in the night.

He could tell that it was extremely early, maybe 4 AM, and wanted to sleep more. When he tried to move and go back to his tent, the girl tightened his grip on her. Trying again, he failed, finding her grip unusually strong for such a small person.

"Kibo," He whispered, causing her to stir slightly against him. "I'm cold. I'm going back to my tent."

"No." She stated, unmoving.

"… 'no'?" He asked, and she nodded. "… what if you came with me back to my tent? My sleeping bag and mat is big enough for the both of us."

"But we're already here."

"But I'm cold. You've got a sleeping bag, I don't." He told her, and at this information, she shifted so that she could look between them. Sure enough, she was the only one in her sleeping bag, and since they weren't both covered, she had parts of her arms exposed to the cold morning air. "Come on."

"Okay." She said tiredly, and not bothering to change out of her black underwear and revealing tank top, followed him out of the tent and into his. Her movements were surprisingly more graceful than his, while he stumbled and cursed at his uncoordination.

While Kibo wasted no time climbing into his sleeping bag, Bickslow took the extra moment to change out of his sweatshirt and pants, leaving him only clad in boxers. He crawled into bed after her, and just like before, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

10.

Kibo woke up to a very strange situation.

She couldn't recall a time where this ever happened before.

Ever.

The tenseness in her muscles caused the mage to stir, and her face turned completely red. Instinctually, Bickslow placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer, one of his hands resting on her exposed hip.

He was shirtless. There was a lot of skin-on-skin contact.

The sleeping bag, which she recognized wasn't hers, was pulled up just above her chin. Her nose was barely brushing against his collar bone, and she realized in terror that her arm was wrapped around him while the other was asleep between them. Bickslow's other arm was under her neck, and wasn't completely comfortable combined with the corner of a pillow she was sharing with him.

The blush deepened on her cheeks as his thumb gently caressed the skin on her hip.

But then it hit her, and the pleasant, yet confusing and embarrassing feelings, would have been preferred to the pain she felt. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out, feeling the resounding and overwhelming sensation crash over her like a wave. All of a sudden she could hear everything happening within his body, along with the magic energy of the forest and all the creatures within it. Bickslow was loudest of all, since he was so close.

It wasn't as bad as in the city, but it the abruptness of it was enough to make her cringe. Instinctually, she pressed her forehead forward, making contact with his neck. Without realizing it, her nails dug into his skin.

"Hmm… you okay?" The male asked, wondering if she was having another nightmare. She'd had them periodically through the night, so he wouldn't be surprised at yet another one occurring.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain control.

"Kibo?"

"Give me a minute." She snapped, her voice hoarse from crying through the night. Since it was the first time that she actually said anything, it caused Bickslow to wake up more and blink his eyes awake. Judging by the light outside, he guessed that they had slept in anyway, maybe until 11 AM.

His body shook as a wave of enormous magical energy rippled from her, definitely waking him up. "What the hell was that?"

"Sorry." She stammered, and turned to try to get out of the sleeping bag, but he held her down.

"No." He said, mocking her for this morning. He briefly wondered if she even remembered that, but nonetheless used the arm under her neck to wrap around to her other shoulder, and the other hand was now glued to her other hip, pressing gently but firmly against her exposed skin.

The sleeping bag had fallen off their upper bodies in the movement, letting him get an eyeful of her exposed waist. When his eyes wandered further down, he realized that she was just wearing black underwear, which left little to the imagination.

"Bickslow," She spoke, the sound of her voice alerting him to the very awkward situation he had put them in. "I have a migraine, and I need to get an aspirin for it."

He immediately let go of her, averting his gaze as she escaped from the tent. It took all his willpower not to watch her leave, knowing that is likely a good view from what little she was wearing.

11.

That day they found the monster and killed it. It was easy enough to take him down, since it was originally supposed to be a solo mission.

They were both quiet for most of the day, not sure what to say about the previous night and morning. Conversation was minimal or awkward, and it wasn't until that night that they started talking again.

"How'd you become such a good cook?" Kibo asked curiously, watching him stir the pot of stew over the fire. He looked up at her, surprised by the conversation starter, and smiled.

"My mom taught me. She thought it was a good skill for me to learn." He told her, and after stirring a bit longer, put the lid back on and sat back down on a log. Kibo was sitting on the other side of the fire, comfortably on a blanket she'd brought for the journey. "My parents were big on food growing up. Whenever I visit, they go all out on meals, even though they don't like me very much."

"What's your favorite meal?"

"Chimchangas."

"Is that because you like the taste, or just the word?" She asked, causing him to laugh. The awkwardness that had encompassed them through the day seemed to disappear.

"You know me too well." He told her, and then eyed the empty spot next to her, tempted to sit there. Splinters were threatening to make a home in his pants, if they hadn't already.

Without needing to ask, she patted the spot next to her, and the seith mage gladly accepted. Bickslow jumped over to her and sat with his legs extended in front of him, slightly bent at the knees.

"Mind reader, you are."

"Perhaps." She said with a grin, and they both chuckled, looking back at the hypnotizing fire. Reds and oranges danced beautifully before them, flames reaching for the stars and disappearing into the night air, only sparks and smoke lifting up into the night sky.

"Sorry this morning was so awkward. Do you remember much of last night?"

"Not really. It's mostly a blur." She admitted, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"You were crying last night, so I went to your tent to check on you. You had a lot of nightmares last night."

"Sorry I woke you."

"Does that happen often?" He asked, surprised by her casualness, and she nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's not your problem." The brunette said with a shrug. "They've gotten worse over the years, and I've handled them the best I can. I try not to bother other people with it."

"You can bother me with it. I don't mind." He said, genuine in his words. Her gaze remained locked on the fire, a silence passing between them, whether awkward or nice he couldn't tell. "You seemed to calm down last night when we cuddled. In the past, your nightmares seemed minimal when we fell asleep together."

A soft blush spread across her cheeks, the sight becoming all too familiar for him.

"You don't have to tell me what they're about, but I'll listen if you want to talk."

"Thanks."

After another moment of silence, Bickslow was about to talk again, when she started speaking.

"When I'm at full strength, I can… hear, things. It's not hearing precisely. It's like an extra sense." She tried to explain, pausing to find the right words. "Anything with blood or magic, I can sense. Things that have blood I can sense everything happening within their bodies. I can sense every living thing within a mile radius. The less I'm injured, or stronger I am, the louder it is."

"'Louder'?" He asked, curious about her word choice.

"I can 'hear' everything happening in your body. Joints, muscles, blood, chemical reactions- everything. On top of that, when I'm in a city, I can sense everyone else within a mile radius. It's like listening to hundreds of loud radios at once."

"Does that include animals?" Bickslow asked, staring at the girl. She seemed particularly vulnerable at that moment, as her shoulders were hunched over and gaze remained locked on the fire.

"Yes. They're not as loud or difficult as humans, but I can hear them nonetheless."

"That's quite the power. I'm jealous." He said, surprised by her scoff.

"It's fucking loud and gives me a headache. I was trained in a forest sparsely populated, so I didn't have to worry about being overloaded."

"But you're able to sense an opponent's weakness, right?"

"Why do you think I'm such a natural at martial arts?" She said with a confident grin, surprising the seith mage at her change in attitude. "When I'm injured and I can only hear a few people at a time, it's useful."

"But when you're at full power, it… overwhelms you?" He asked, trying to understand.

"Yes."

"And that's why you cut yourself?"

"It's one of the reasons, yes."

"Is it also the reason you don't date?" Just as her eyes had finally started meeting his, they fluttered away again, and her jaw clenched. "Since you can sense so many things, it overwhelms you when you get physically close to someone."

"Like most dragonslayers, my ability is powered by emotion. It makes my healing magic work faster on my wounds, so that everything gets too loud. On the few occasions I tried to ignore it, I accidentally hurt my partner."

"… that sucks." He spoke after a moment, now looking back at the fire and absorbing the information. "That's why you asked me to kiss you when I caught you cutting the first time?"

"Yeah. It was the first time that I tried kissing someone while my wounds were fresh."

"And it wasn't overwhelming?"

"I could still sense a little, but it had dulled enough that I could enjoy the kiss."

"… so for you to enjoy anything intimate, you have to be bleeding."

"Pretty much."

"… huh." He muttered, and then stood up to stir the stew, quietly pondering the information. "So this morning when you mentioned a headache, it was because you woke up in my sleeping bag and was overwhelmed?"

"Y-yeah…" She stuttered.

"… huh." He muttered again.

"Does it freak you out?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him from her spot. He blinked at her, surprised by the question, but then pondered it.

"No. It does give me ideas, though." Bickslow replied, sticking his tongue out at her. He loved the deep blush that spread along her cheeks, and her reaction to him just made her cuter. "For your injuries, does it have to be bloody? Or, for example, could you get punched in the face and get the same result?"

"… are you planning to punch me in the face?"

"Well, no, I'm just getting an idea for your abilities." He said with a mischievous smirk. "Of course, you don't have to tell me anything."

"… bruises work just as well, if they're bad enough. Burns work best in terms of lasting effect. Blades are my favorite, namely for the feel than anything."

"What about broken bones?"

"They're the best." She said with an embarrassed grin, and watched as the man started pouring their bowls of soup. "I would break my arm more often if it wasn't so obvious."

"How fast can you heal it?"

"A few minutes if I actively use my magic on it. A few days if I don't."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** As always, thank you for the follows, reviews, and faves!

 **B Chapter 7**

 _Hostages_

When they finally got home, Bickslow was exhausted. His back hurt and his joints had been aching since the night on Kibo's mat. As his eyes made contact with the couch, he groaned, missing the feel of an actual mattress.

"What?" She asked, moving past him and putting her stuff in her room.

"Can I sleep on your bed?" He asked, following her into her small room and plopping down on the mattress, not waiting for an answer.

"Only if you shower first. You stink."

He grunted, not wanting to move, but then sighed in annoyance. "So I can sleep with you if I shower? Your standards are that low?"

"They're gonna get higher if you don't move your ass." The brunette said, and at those words, he pushed himself back onto his feet and made his way to the bathroom, but paused in her doorway. Turning to face her, he had a cheesy grin on his face.

"Are you going to shower too?"

"After you, yeah. I don't want to dirty my sheets."

"Any chance you want to…?" The man said hopefully, but then shook his head and muttered a 'nevermind' as he turned and continued to his destination. He didn't want to push his luck with her, since she seemed just as tired as he was and could easily rescind her decision if he'd pushed the invitation. Even if she was up for the idea of sharing the shower, he'd realized that he wasn't energetic nor awake enough to pop her cherry properly.

"Try not to use up all the hot water." She told him, and he grumbled, already planning to use cold water.

1.

The next morning, despite falling asleep on opposite sides of the bed, Bickslow found the woman back in his arms. Just like the other morning, she was squirming to get free, and he was strangely adamant about keeping her still. "Nightmare?" He mumbled tiredly, having no idea what time it was. Since the room was so dark he assumed that it was still night, and it felt like night, but since the curtains were closed there was no way to know.

"Headache."

"The sensing, overwhelmy thingy?" He grumbled, arms in the same position as last time, and both of them wearing the same 'pajamas' as before.

"Yeah." She replied, and upon remembering his plan for this, brought the back of her shoulder closer to him, and then bit down as hard as he could. Drops of blood filled his mouth as his teeth sunk into her flesh. Under any other circumstance he would never bite a lover this hard, maybe an enemy if the situation was right, and heard the woman give a startled cry. His lips gave the injury a light kiss, and then his tongue licked up the metallic tasting liquid from her skin.

"Better?" He asked, voice low and gruff from not being entirely awake.

"… much." She said, and relaxed against him, sighing as her back melded into his torso.

"Is that good, or do you need another bite?"

"Another bite would be nice, if you're willing." Kibo said, and without hesitating, he latched his teeth next to the other bite, a little closer to her neck. Since she was expecting it this time she made no noise, and like last time, he gave her a kiss and licked up the excess blood. "Thanks."

"No problem." He grumbled, and soon enough, they both drifted back to sleep.

2.

Shortly after arriving at the Guild Hall that day, they wished that they had stayed home.

Fairy Tail was being robbed, held at gun point while every member was chained to the wall. The metal was a special magic draining substance that left each wizard helpless, only able to keep their mouths shut and watch the scene unfold. Every time they pulled at the chains a powerful electric current would shock them, in most cases knocking them out.

On the wall above each person was a number representing the amount of magic they possessed. In the corner of the room was a large, balloon like object that was holding all of the magic from the Fairy Tail wizards.

In the middle of the room was a terrified Wendy, shaking in fear at the gun pressed against her temple. Around the Guild Hall, wizards watched in fear and anger, only barely able to stay quiet. For some of the louder mages in the room, it was especially difficult to keep their temper down.

Once the group had been settled and everyone chained, armed men stationed at key places in the room, the leader had sent Makarov to get them ransom money. If he didn't return in 30 minutes with the specified amount of money, they would kill the hostage.

"Help me switch places with Wendy." Kibo whispered to Bickslow, who gave her a 'no way in hell' look. She tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as she talked to him, but the angle was difficult. "My healing magic is still working. If they shoot me, I won't die. But Wendy will."

The man thought for a moment, sitting up straighter and noticing someone walking towards them.

"Oi, what the hell were you whispering about?"

"My friend here was arguing how stupid you guys are." Bickslow spoke, a cocky smirk on his face. "She also called yo momma fat."

"A fat whore." Kibo corrected, watching the man's gun point towards her.

"You tryin' to get yourself killed?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Romeo asked from her other side, watching with wide and unbelieving eyes.

"I mean, using a kid as a hostage, really? How stupid is that? I mean, I understand why you'd use her to get everyone in their places, but after that you need to replace her with someone no one cares about. Once you kill the little girl, it's game over." She spoke, her voice uncharacteristically loud and confident.

"You better shut-"

"Gary, move," An authoritive voice spoke behind the man, causing him to visibly stiffen and quickly step out of the way. The movement allowed Kibo to lock eyes with the leader of the group, who was much leaner and taller than the rest. Like the others he wore a black wife beater shirt and cargo pants with two belts of bullets across his chest, and a gun in his hand. His hair was greasy and tied back in a small ponytail. "And who do you think would be a better choice? You?"

"Kibo-" Romeo tried to whisper to her.

"Since I only joined a few days ago, probably. I'm the newest recruit."

"Only a few days, huh? It's quite the sacrifice for a Guild that you just joined."

"If the Guild Master gets back here in time, I'll get major brownie points with the guild members. If I die, at least it'll be to protect a little kid. Probably one of the better ways to go out." She told him, surprised when the man started laughing. Kibo felt the stares of the entire guild on her, silently wondering (and hoping) she had a plan. Natsu growled in the corner, and the blond next to him leaning against his side, trying to calm him down.

"Your magic is lower than the average person. Why the hell are you in a wizard guild?"

"What I lack in magic I make up for in martial arts and knowledge."

Again, the man laughed, and gestured the man holding Wendy to let her go. "Looks like we're switching girls. This one has spunk."

During the switch, Kibo managed to lock eyes with the growling dragonslayer and wink at him, hoping that it was enough to sooth his nerves a bit. It didn't, but at least caused his growls to quiet.

The man now guarding her, a man referred to as 'Pinky', pushed her into a chair and then used a simple padlock to lock her wrists together. Since she already had metal, magic sucking cuffs on, it was all he needed to bind her.

Pinky stood next to her with the gun pointing at her head, looking uncomfortable and awkward with the situation. Kibo could sense an abnormality in his brain, and after further listening, realized that he had a brain tumor. Strange chemicals were flowing in his system, which she could only guess was medication for it.

When he grabbed her arm previously, to shove her into the chair, she used the contact to send small amounts of her blood magic into his hand. Once magic left her body it was immediately drained by the devices in the room, but her blood magic worked so long as it was inside someone's body.

If she could get within physical contact of all the guards, she could take them out without casualties.

Gun drifting slightly behind her, because the man was too distracted with something his boss was saying, Kibo made sure the angle of the gun wouldn't hit anyone. Using the blood magic in his finger she pulled the trigged, flinching at the loud sound so close to her face.

Cries rang out, and Pinky pointed his gun at the ground, his eyes wide. He stared at his boss who approached him.

"Kibo, are you alight?" Erza asked nearby.

"I'm fine." Kibo replied, but then watched in surprise as the boss raised his gun to Pinky's face and pulled the trigger.

Another cry rang out from the Fairy Tail wizards, and when the man pointed it back at the crowd, they quickly hushed.

"You'd kill your own comrades!?" Natsu asked him, getting electrocuted for the fiftiest time as he leaned too far forward.

"He was on probation. I told him that if he showed any sign of the tumor in his brain taking hold, that I would kill him."

"That's still not right!" The dragonslayer yelled, and ground his teeth as the gun moved to point at Kibo, who was still staring at the man before her in shock.

"I think I'll take over watching the hostage. She's such a cute little thing, after all." He said, chuckling darkly and laughing at the mage's expression. His brown eyes shifted to lock onto Kibo's, the expression in his eyes unfamiliar to her, but oddly creepy.

Large boots stomped loudly around her, and his free hand combed her hair, but then grabbed it roughly.

"You don't seem very scared, girl." He commented, yanking her head back and staring into her eyes.

"I've been in worse situations."

"Is that so?"

"You have a hostage, there's no reason to torture her." Erza spoke nearby, and then gasped when the man reached over and shot Kibo's foot. The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath, jaw clenched.

"Open your eyes. I want to see your pain." He ordered, smirking when she complied. "Most people would be balling their eyes out right now."

"I'm not most people." She replied, her voice even and not showing a hint of pain.

"You're fun." He announced, and then leaned in close to her, letting his lips stop just a few centimeters from her ear. Stale cigarette smoke and alcohol stained his breath and clothes. Kibo jerked her head away from him, but the grip on her hair was too tight to move.

"I tell good knock knock jokes." She said sarcastically, responding to his comment.

"Instead of killing you, I may just take you to the back room for-"

"You're not taking her anywhere, pervert!" Gajeel yelled, seemingly undeterred by the electricity flowing into his body as he lurched forward.

Another bang caused everyone to jump, the bullet going through Kibo's shoulder and into the wall behind her, between Gajeel and Erza. The brunette managed to keep her mouth shut for this second bullet, but not for when he pressed his hand against the wound and agitated the hell out of it. "God damnit!" She cursed.

"Have you still experienced worse, girl?"

"Yes." She gritted out, glaring at him.

"Then I guess I'll have to try harder." Hoisting his leg over his lap, he took a seat on her knees, straddling her. Gun continuously pressed against some part of her head, Fairy Tail could do nothing but watch, fearful of saying anything else to get her hurt. "Oi, Arnie, how much time does the short guy have left?"

Blood pooled around the woman's foot on the floor, and the added weight on her leg increased the pain.

"15 minutes."

"15 minutes…" The boss repeated, a smirk on his lips. He then returned attention to the girl under him, and returned his hand to her hair, keeping her head in place to lock lips with her.

"Get off of her!" Bickslow yelled, straining against the shackles and ignoring the current flowing through him.

The gun rose, but this time instead of aiming for her, it aimed for his head.

"No!" Kibo muffled into the kiss and bit down on the older man's lower lip, causing him to yell out in surprise and miss the shot, and then aim the gun for her thigh. As the bullet shot through her leg she let go, hissing in pain.

She looked over at Bickslow to make sure he was okay, seeing that the bullet missed by several feet.

Pain in her scalp increased as the boss pulled her head back, pressing the gun against her neck. "Now there's a look I love to see. Is that your boyfriend over there?"

"Just met him today."

"No, that look in your eye says differently. You love him."

"If you shoot at anyone in this guild again-"

"You'll what?"

"Destroy you." She gritted out, breath hitching as he moved his leg to rest over the fresh wound.

He smiled, watching her squirm. "Tell me about the time that was worse than this."

An estranged laugh escaped her lips.

It continued to become more than one laugh, but several linked laughs that were equally dark and unlike anything they had heard before. The sound caused chills to run down their spines.

"What's so funny?" He asked, surprised by the sudden change.

"I just realized who you remind me of." She said with a grin, still chuckling and giggling.

"And who is that?"

"You're not leaving until you kill all of us, are you?" She asked between laughs. "You're not here for the money. Hell, this guild is broke. You're here for the bloodshed."

"I have a little interest in both." He said with a grin, trying to not appear unnerved by her laughter. "Not that you can do anything about it."

"You see, here's what's funny." She said, her laugh suddenly disappearing. The room was filled with an eerie silence as they waited for her to speak, utterly confused by her behavior. "I've been putting up with your shit to avoid bloodshed. But if you're insistent on death, I'm going to make it yours."

The flying balloon smashed into pieces, the boss's body mangled within as it fell. At once the entire room jumped into life, the wizards leaping to their feet and attacking the armed men trying to flee.

Testosterone filled the air as men pummeled the guards, and although Kana and Erza got some good shots in, they were soon overshadowed.

Kibo sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying the lack of force on her head. When she wasn't moving, the bullet wounds didn't hurt as much. Before healing she sat there for a few moments, letting Mira and Lucy cry and hug her while she rested.

Gajeel was nice enough to stop and break the padlock on her wrists before joining the fight.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Evergreen asked in front of her, causing the brunette to open her eyes and blink at the woman. "Why did you let yourself be taken hostage like that!? He could have killed you!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys. If I'd known-"

"Worried? You could have been killed!"

"I was never in any real danger. My… healing magic was still working through the ordeal. I didn't-"

"You were reckless!" Evergreen chastised, and started hitting her on the head with her purse, causing the other women to panic and tackle her.

3.

That night the guild was pretty quiet, since most people had gone home after the hostage situation. Kibo was asked to stay, since the others were worried about her, and she reluctantly complied.

After she healed most of her injuries she was tried, emotionally and physically, and just wanted to go home.

"That was brave what you did for Wendy." Erza commented, watching the woman drink her second beer. Kibo would probably be getting free drinks for the next week after what happened.

"I would have done it for anyone in the guild. It's really not that big of a deal."

"If your magic was working, why didn't you take them all out at the beginning?" Gajeel asked curiously.

"Like you guys, once magic left my body, it stopped working. The only attacks I could do were from skin on skin contact. I had hoped to infect all the guards before acting to reduce the chance of someone getting hurt. Actually, I had hoped that Makarov would get back before it resorted to violence."

"I'm sorry." The guild master said, sulking yet again on the end of the table. Kibo felt a pang of guilt as she saw the sadness encompass his features, knowing that he felt terrible for the ideal.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you did everything in your power to help us. I'm just a bit tired."

"Getting shot three times will do that to someone." Bickslow commented from her side, gingerly sipping his beer.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." Makarov sobbed, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"Don't feel bad, Guild Master," Mira said behind him, trying to comfort the old man.

"What the hell happened here?" The new voice caused everyone to turn, surprised by the new presence. Laxus stood there, and after eyeing the blood stain still on the wall, approached the small group.

"We got robbed today. Well, kind of." Bickslow told him, glad that the older mage was there.

"Kibo here saved the day." Erza stated, patting her on the back and causing her to wince. "I thought you were healed up?"

"Mostly. My shoulder won't be completely healed until tomorrow."

"A hero, huh?" Laxus asked, grabbing a chair and pulling it over to the group. He had the back facing the wizards, so that when he sat his arms rested tiredly on it.

"Some thugs came in here and drained our magic." Gajeel spoke, taking lead in explaining the story. "They held Wendy at gun point, but Kibo managed to switch places with her. She got shot to hell before using some bad ass magic on him and breaking the damn balloon thing."

"'Balloon thing'?"

"It controlled the magic flow in the room." Erza explained, and the blond nodded in understanding.

"Is Wendy okay?" Laxus asked.

"She's shaken up, but she'll be okay. Their boss shot one of their own guys in the head, and it was pretty traumatic. And then watching Kibo get hurt… well, it was a bit traumatic for everyone, to be honest." Mira told him, and took a seat next to the guild master, still trying to comfort him.

"I leave the guild for one day and all hell breaks loose." The blond joked, and then looked over at Kibo, who was busy looking down at her drink. "How are you holding up, Kibo?"

"I'm alright. I think everyone else was more freaked out than I was." She said with a grin.

"You scared the hell out of us." Bickslow said, lightly punching her uninjured shoulder.

"Were you the only one hurt?" Laxus asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Well, in the guild, at least. I killed the boss with my attack and everyone else pummeled his goons. I guess some people got shocked by the shackles, but it didn't do lasting damage, I don't think." The brunette explained awkwardly.

"What kind of attack did you use on them? I don't think I've seen your magic yet."

"Now that you mention it, I haven't either. How did your magic not get drained?" Gajeel added, watching the young woman curiously.

"It's a kind of magic that I don't like to use… or talk about." She said, looking back down at the drink in her hands.

"Well whatever magic you used, it saved our butts today." Erza said, patting her on the back roughly and making her cringe.

4.

Bickslow kissed her as soon as they entered the apartment, closing the front door with his foot and pushing her into a wall. Their lips separated for only a moment before he reclaimed her, almost smothering her as he licked her teeth for entry and let his hands roam the side of her body.

She sighed tiredly against him, slowly reaching her hands up the sides of his chest and resting them on the back of his neck. He desperately pulled her into him, pushing his tongue into her mouth at the slightest opening and searching the slimy crevice.

A small sound escaped her as he made a particularly rough gesture, and he reluctantly pulled his head back. Frustrated, he knocked his forehead into the wall next to her, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Y-you okay?" She asked, unsure of what he was doing. To be honest with himself, he wasn't sure himself.

The image of that creep kissing her kept flashing in his mind.

He took a deep breath, still looming over her in their current position. Their skin hovered only an inch or less from each other, and his body wanted to close the gap again. Fingers pulled at the back of his hood, and he let the metal visor and fabric collect around his neck. Despite the gesture he stayed still, afraid of what he might do if he moved.

Kibo slowly let her fingers move into the base of his hair, and comb through the blue locks. The sensation was oddly calming, but the anger in his chest was still there and threatening to spill through.

"Are you mad at me?"

He sighed, hating the sound in her voice. Reaching a hand up to the side of her face, he gently cupped her cheek, brushing her soft skin with his thumb. She leaned into his hand, making his lips crack into a small smile.

"What are you thinking about?"

They had been standing like this for some time, possibly several minutes, and he silently mused about how weird this must be for her. "That creep kissing you."

"He shoots me three times but it's the kiss that bothers you?"

"Your wounds will heal."

"You were really that upset by it?"

A sigh escaped his nostrils, jaw clenching as the image flashed across his mind again.

"You're the only person I have eyes for, Bixy."

"Good." He said, and pressed the side of his head against hers, his hand still on her cheek. "Because you're mine."

"Yours?" She asked, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the tone in her voice. He couldn't recall a time that he ever 'claimed' someone as his, other than Kibo. Something about her evoked strong emotions from him that no one else could. "I don't recall seeing your name on me."

"It can be arranged." He joked, and turned his head to kiss her free cheek. "Sorry if I was a bit rough a minute ago."

"It's okay. I'm going to head to bed, though, if you don't mind. I'm pretty tired."

"I'll join you in a minute." Bickslow stated, and pecked her on the lips.

"I never said that you could sleep on my bed again." She said, sticking her tongue out at the mage. He gently bit her tongue, causing her to blush at the strange response.

"Don't be mean. We both sleep better when we're together."

"My bed, my rules."

"Oh come on, isn't there a way I can change your mind? We can sleep on opposite sides. No contact."

"That's not what happened when we started that way last night."

"Can you blame me? You're hot."

"Good night, Bixy." She said, and moved out of his grasp, disappearing into her room. The male frowned, disliking the prospect of sleeping on the couch again, especially after sleeping so well on her bed the night before. Using soul possession on her briefly crossed his mind, but he pushed it out of his thoughts, knowing that it not only wouldn't work but would just piss her off.

"Night." He muttered, making a face at the closed door.

1.

The next morning, Bickslow woke up to an annoyingly loud bang on the door, and rolled off the couch in surprise. Too tired and lazy to get up and go to the door, or actually get back on the couch, he simply wrapped the blanket back against his half naked body and lay on his side.

After a moment, another knock came from the door, just as loud as the first time. "Go away." He grumbled, not loud enough for them to hear.

"We're not going away, Bicks." An all too familiar voice spoke, and the male grunted, rolling onto his back. The door to Kibo's bedroom opened, and the seith mage looked over to see her freshly showered and already dressed.

"I'm not decent. Don't answer it." He told her, and she looked over at him, noting that he was laying on the ground clad in only boxers.

"And whose fault is that? If you're embarrassed, go get changed in my room." She said, and he rolled onto his back and jumped to his feet, grabbing his duffel bag before hightailing it to her room.

Sighing, she opened the door for his team.

From Kibo's room, Bickslow listened to the conversation, realizing in embarrassment that he probably should have gone to the bathroom to chance instead of her room. He didn't smell too great, and he'd have to cross the living room in order to reach the shower.

"What brings you guys over?" Kibo asked them as they entered, letting them into her somewhat messy apartment for the first time.

"Have you heard of the Grand Magic Games?" Evergreen asked, not surprised when she looked at her with the same expression as the other non-Tenrou Island guild members.

"You mean the games that we've been getting dead last in for years?"

"Yeah, that one."

"We're competing this year." Fried spoke as he wandered around the apartment, admiring her tribal artwork. "I never took you for a tribal person."

"You guys know that the games aren't all fighting, right?"

"Now that the strongest wizards of Fairy Tail are back, the games will be no problem. We're all going to train for the next 3 months to prepare for it, and thought we'd extend the invitation." Laxus told her, causing her to blink at the tall man in surprise.

"What kind of training?"

"Whatever we feel that we need to work on. Hand-to-hand combat, strength training, meditation to increase magic. We're going to some temple ruins in the north."

"Sounds fun. Count me in."

"Bickslow, get your ass moving." Evergreen ordered.

2.

"Would you stop messing with my hair thing?"

"But it's so entertaining." Kibo told him, continuing to bat the purple hair thing on the back of his hood. They'd been walking on a trail for close to an hour now, and she'd only recently picked up the game, finding a strange amount of job in it.

"You look like a cat." Evergreen commented, smiling as the young woman happily continued playing with the object. She had to admit, she'd wanted to bat the purple thing on his head multiple times, since it was so odd looking. Despite the seith mage's annoyed expression, she could tell that he was enjoying the attention from the woman.

Since they had returned from Tenrou Island, Bickslow and Kibo's dynamic had changed considerably, and seemed to be continuing to evolve. Whenever Evergreen feared that Bickslow was taking advantage of her or being too controlling, Kibo would turn the tables in an instant, leaving the seith mage uncharacteristically speechless. The fairy woman had somewhat enjoyed watching their relationship change over the past few weeks, having started a game with Fried to guess what they were doing behind closed doors.

"Do I look like a cat toy to you?" Bickslow asked, narrowing his eyes at the fairy woman.

"Your giant, puffy, purple thing does." Kibo said behind him, snickering as he redirected his glare to her.

"At least my outfit is cooler than yours."

"At least I don't look like a giant cat toy."

"Would you guys knock it off? You're giving me a headache." Laxus ordered from the front of the group.

Kibo reached over to bat the purple thing again, much to Bickslow's annoyance, so he grabbed her arm and shoved her in front of her. She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, but he merely nudged her forward, so that she would walk in front of him.

3.

After they put their belongings in their rooms, the team found themselves sitting at a table eating food that Fried had prepared. Kibo would have preferred the seith mage's cooking, but since it was free food that she didn't have to cook, she wasn't about to complain.

"So how'd you guys find this place?" The brunette asked, interrupting a long silence.

"My teacher used to live here. The monks that built this place abandoned it, but I don't know the details."

"Evergreen thinks it's haunted." Bickslow added from her sided, causing the fairy woman to glare.

"Shut up!"

"There are a lot of strange sounds at night." Fried added, sitting much more composed than his companions. "But that's to be expected from such an old temple."

"The only person I know to have died here is my teacher's daughter. I buried her down the hill." Laxus added, and Kibo looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh? What happened to your teacher, then?"

"Shortly after I finished my training with him, I came back to visit, and found this temple in shambles. When I explored further I found the body of his daughter, but not him."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She spoke, looking back down at her food.

"The guy picked so many fights, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just feel bad for the girl. She was only 8 years old."

"Can we talk about something a little more cheerful?" Evergreen requested, unaware of the floating hand behind her. When it landed on her shoulder, she screamed, and continued to get up and run several yards away while Bickslow laughed hysterically.

Kibo continued eating her food, quietly looking down at her plate while memories haunted her thoughts.

4.

Laxus found himself wandering around the old temple grounds, enjoying the cool night breeze and familiar grounds. On occasion he would hear Evergreen scream, or Bickslow laughing, and each time he couldn't help but crack a smile.

He had spent a lot of his teenage years here. The overgrown vines and plants, along with the damage caused by whatever his master fought, made it difficult to navigate at times, but he always managed to find a piece that he remembered. It was almost like a maze with all the twisting and turning hallways, and sometimes the hallways or stairs were so damaged that he had to turn back.

Every once in a while he half expected the little 8 year old to come bumbling down the hallway, giggling and laughing as she usually did. Given her isolated upbringing, he'd always hoped that she'd leave to become a powerful wizard like her father, and maybe join a wizard guild like Fairy Tail.

After the sounds of his team died down, he decided that it was probably time to head back to his room. However, on his way back to his room, he got lost.

Luckily he smelled a familiar scent nearby, and easily navigated to it, finding the person standing on the edge of the courtyard. The side she was standing on overlooked a steep hill and gave a beautiful view of the valley below, along with the lake and stars shining brilliantly above them.

The blond walked towards her, curious as to why she'd separated from the group. Now that he'd located the courtyard he could get back to his room, but figured he'd have his first one-on-one conversation with the woman.

She didn't acknowledge his presence, but he suspected she knew he was standing next to her.

"It's a beautiful night out." Laxus told her, breaking the silence. The cool night air felt nice on his exposed skin, and he inhaled the fresh scent of pine from the nearby trees.

"It seems like I'll never escape my past." She spoke, her cold words surprising him. He couldn't think of a time he'd ever seen her other not smiley or happy.

"Troubles in paradise?" He asked, taking a guess that it had something to do with Bickslow. When it came to women, he found that it usually had something to do with men.

She chuckled. "You mean with Bickslow?"

"Yeah. You two seem… weird." He said, unable to think of a better word.

"To be honest, I haven't put too much thought into it. Whenever I do, I get a headache." Kibo told him, causing him to laugh.

"Bickslow's a good guy, but I can't see him dating anyone."

"After you did the Battle of Fairy Tail…" She spoke, catching him off guard with the abrupt topic change. "Did you feel bad about it?"

He paused for a moment, watching her somber gaze stare out into the distance. "… yeah. I felt pretty bad about it. I learned from the experience and grew as a person, though. In that respect I'm glad it happened."

She seemed to contemplate his answer, deep in thought. As he stared at her, he noticed a darkness in her eyes that he had never noticed before.

"Why do you ask?"

Her brown eyes briefly met his gaze, but then returned to the scene before them. "Just debating on how to deal with my demons. It's been tough having you guys back."

"How so?"

She sighed, seeming to try and find the right words. "It feels like everything is changing. I'd finally gotten a grasp on things, and now it's going haywire."

"Do you wish we hadn't come back?"

"No." She replied quickly. "It just… I dunno. It seems like everything is happening at the same time."

"Life does that sometimes." He commented. "Best way to deal with it is to roll with the punches. And when you fuck up, do your best to make it right. Even if you can't, it's the effort that counts."

"Easier said than done." She told him, and he chuckled, shifting the weight on his feet.

"Yeah."

"Oi, where have you guys been?" Laxus turned to face his friend, smiling at the new presence. "Fried and Evergreen went to sleep, so I'm bored out of my skull."

"I was just planning to call it a night." Laxus stated, and as he walked past him, patted him on the shoulder.

"It's not even midnight yet…" Bickslow whined.

"Night." The blonde spoke, and the blue-haired mage replied in kind.

Bickslow waited until the dragonslayer had left the premises before walking up behind Kibo. He slowly snaked his hands around her waist. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her flush against him, and kissed the edge of her ear. "Enjoying the view?"

"Yeah. It's beautiful here." She replied, sighing and melting into him. He gazed out at the valley and starry night, and having seen it many times before, wasn't quite as captivated by it.

"You've been acting weird since we got here. You okay?"

"What Laxus said about his teacher brought back some bad memories for me. I'll be okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She paused, and he took the time to nuzzle the side of her head, feeling particularly affectionate at that moment. Her body heat felt especially nice as well, since it was such a cool night. "I've seen too many children die in my lifetime. No matter how hard I try to forget that fact, it always bubbles to the surface."

Bickslow quietly listened to her, touched by the sadness and sincerity in her voice. It was the first time she told him about her dark past regarding her village or dragonslaying days- something truly personal, and it almost tore his heart in two.

He nuzzled his face into her neck, and placed a small kiss on her sensitive skin. "Ever since my brother started appearing, I've been forced to remember the terrible things I had to do. And… I don't know what to do now."

"I'm here for you." He spoke against her neck, and as his gaze happened downward, he realized that she wasn't wearing a jacket. Goosebumps had formed along her skin, and looked extremely pale against the moonlight.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, tilting her head back. "Thank you."

"Anytime." Bickslow replied, and gently moved his arms so that they were covering more of her bare ones. "Aren't you cold?"

"Not particularly. Are you?"

"A little."

"Want to head back inside?"

"Yes and no. If I wasn't sharing a room with Fried and you weren't sharing a room with Evergreen, I would love to cuddle up to you in a sleeping bag."

"You seem super cuddly right now."

"Mmhmm." He hummed into her skin, moving his nose along up and down the side of her neck, effectively nuzzling her like a cat. The sound of her giggle made him smile, happy to cheer her up a little. "You're not alone, Kibo." He whispered to her, thinking back to her earlier words. "I can't imagine the hell you went through, but remember that you have friends to look after and help you. We all love you."

"You're being so mushy and cuddly… who are you?" She joked, and giggled as he nipped her ear playfully.

5.

"Bickslow, wake up."

"5 more minutes…"

"Everyone is waiting for you. Get up." Kibo spoke, nudging his stomach with her foot. She'd been elected to wake up the sleeping seith mage, and since everyone had already eaten and were ready to go on their hike to the training grounds, she was antsy and wanted him to hurry up.

"10 more minutes…."

"You've had an hour. We've already eaten without you."

"Just go on without me. Save yourself." He grumbled, turning around in his sleeping bag to face the wall.

Nudging his back now, he grunted.

"2 more minutes…"

"Come on, it's not like I got much sleep either. We went to bed at the same time and I've been awake for the past hour and a half."

"How are you alive right now?"

"To my knowledge, lack of sleep doesn't kill people." She told him, and heard him grumble something, but couldn't make out what it was. She nudged him again, but less gentle. "Get up."

"NoooooOoOooooooOo…"

"YeeEeeEeeeeEeees." She mocked, and this time pushed his shoulder so that he was now laying on his back, squinting up at her. "How does your team put up with you?"

"Alcohol." He replied, causing her to chuckle, despite his serious expression.

Something grabbed her ankle and toppled her, causing her to fall back. When she looked over to see what had grabbed her, she found herself face to face with Bickslow, who was climbing over her. Before she knew what was happening he'd latched onto her in a hug and pulled her to the ground.

"Damn it, Bickslow, you're doing it wrong."

"Nope."

She grunted as she tried to get him off, surprised at how much muscle was necessary to remove him. He was so strong that she had to hit him in the face to make him let go, causing him to curse and fall back.

"Fine, I'm up." Bickslow finally stated, and sighed as he pushed himself onto his feet, and then took his boxers off to change into his training outfit.

Not expecting him to change, she unfortunately got an eyeful, causing her to turn her head and blush madly. "A-a l-little warning next t-time?" She stuttered, staring at the wall.

"Oh, uh… haven't you seen me naked before?"

"Nope."

"… huh."

"I'll meet you in the courtyard with the others." She said quickly and ran off, leaving a tired and half asleep seith mage standing there.

6.

"What the hell did you do to Kibo?" Evergreen asked, glaring at the seith mage. They'd been walking for some ten minutes, and the brunette's face still hadn't returned to its normal shade of color, nor would she make eye contact with Bickslow.

"Huh?" He asked tiredly, walking in a zombie like state and rather oblivious to his surroundings.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened." Kibo said, looking at the trees above them and trying to get the image out of her head.

"… eh?" Bickslow muttered, glancing over at the woman. Upon further inspection, she did seem odd, and it took him a moment to remember what happened that morning. "Oooh… You're still upset by that?"

"I'm not upset."

"What did you do?" Evergreen asked, still glaring at the man.

"None of your business." He snapped.

"I knew we shouldn't have sent Kibo to wake you up. You probably stripped in front of her, didn't you?" She asked, causing the brunette to blush even further and Bickslow to smile awkwardly.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm surprised it hadn't yet, since I've been crashing at her pad so much lately."

"She's probably scarred for life. I know I was."

"We've all been scarred by Bickslow's nudity." Fried added, earning a glare from the blue-haired wizard.

"Whatever. You're all just jealous."

"… just how many people have seen you naked, Bickslow?" Kibo asked curiously, causing the embarrassed wizard to blush.

"Uh…"

"Too many." Laxus spoke, causing a chorus of laughter at their teammate's expense.

7.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; full of training drills and reflex exercises. By the end of the day everyone was tired, and in order to unwind, they built a small fire and made marshmallows. A bottle of fireball whiskey was making its rounds through the wizards.

"Wait, you can't drink." Bickslow stated right before handing it to Kibo, who blinked at him in surprise and confusion. "Last time you got sick and stuff."

"I'm okay with a few sips. I just can't do several shots of tequila in a row." She said, sticking her tongue out and taking the bottle from him.

"Fine, but if you get sick again, I'm not taking care of you." He said, sticking out his own tongue as she took a swig from the bottle. Afterwards she silently passed it to Fried on the other side of her. "So Ever. How's Elfman these days?"

"How the hell would I know?" She huffed, turning her attention to Fried. "Did you by chance bring that awesome healing cream?"

"I brought a small amount for emergencies. Didn't you buy your own?" He replied, giving her an annoyed look.

"I left it at home. Please Fried? This burn is really bugging me."

"Well you'll have to deal with it."

"Oh come on. We have a healer with us for emergencies, anyway." She said, referring to Kibo's powers.

"Didn't it hurt like hell when I used it on you?" Kibo asked curiously, watching the woman's expression change drastically. She grimaced, remembering the experience all too well.

"Oh yeah… I assumed that was because of how severe my injuries were, though. Could you heal my burns?" She asked, turning her body towards the young woman.

"My healing magic would hurt like hell no matter the injury. I could heal a papercut, but it would feel like a stab wound in the process."

"… nevermind, then." She said with an awkward smile.

"Couldn't you figure out how to make it less painful?" Bickslow asked, leaning back on his propped arms. "What was the point of learning it if you don't plan to use it?"

"There's no point in making it hurt less if I don't plan to use it."

"Healing magic is extremely rare. I'm surprised you don't use it more often." Fried commented, setting the whiskey bottle on the ground between him and Laxus.

"I use it for dire emergencies only. It's far more effective than the average healing magic, not to mention painful for both parties."

"Anyone have a good ghost story?" Bickslow asked the group, sensing Kibo's discomfort on the topic.

"No ghost stories!" Evergreen told him, and punched him in the shoulder.

"Well if you're scared, sure, let's-"

"I'm not scared. I just don't feel like listening to a ghost story right now."

"Well I do. Have you heard any good ones lately, Laxus?"

"As a matter a fact, I heard a pretty intriguing one recently." The blond spoke, holding back his amused smile at Evergreen's misery.

8.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." Bickslow replied with a wink, tugging her along through the dark woods. His souls glowed softly ahead of him, allowing him enough light to navigate, and quietly echoed his words to her.

Kibo sighed tiredly, but nonetheless let herself be guided by the man. Their hands were intertwined, and he couldn't help but smile at the contact. After the stress of the day, his body was sore, and the gentle sign of affection felt nice.

When they reached their destination, Bickslow unrolled the blanket from his free hand onto the ground. Before sitting down they both looked out over the lake, admiring the beautiful reflection of the stars above it. Fireflies were drifting along the water's edge, making it an even more serene setting.

"Want to sit?" He asked, gently squeezing her hand. She nodded, smiling at him.

Once they sat down and started to get comfortable, they continued staring out into the majestic scenery, until Bickslow finally broke the silence.

"When you were taken hostage, why didn't you use your magic on him when he kissed you?" He asked, intentionally catching her off-guard.

"I didn't want to make any hostile action if I could avoid it."

"So you let him kiss you."

"I practically bit his lip off, doesn't that say anything?" She asked, and looked over to see that his face was merely inches from hers. The male watched as a soft blush crept along her cheeks.

He powered down his souls so that the fireflies and crescent moon in the sky were the only sources of light.

"What are you doing?"

"You only bit him when he tried to kill me." He spoke softly, and then moved closer to her, not surprised when she inched away. He easily guided her back to the ground and reached his knee to the other side of her waist, effectively putting his large body over hers. As he'd been lowering her down, she'd put her hand on his shoulder, gently putting pressure on it but not enough to make him stop. "If he hadn't made that shot, would you still have bitten him?"

Her eyes stared up at him in confusion, likely trying to figure out what he wanted to hear. Cold air brushed along her exposed arms, and as he trailed his finger tips along the smooth skin, felt her goosebumps rising. "Probably not."

"How should I feel about that?" One hand next to her head while the other rested on her hip, he lowered his face just below her neck. His breath heated the cool skin of her collarbone, and he resisted the urge to lick the soft pink flesh. The woman took a deep breath, and he mentally debated how far to push this little game of his.

"You're technically not my boyfriend, so I have no idea what you should be feeling." Kibo replied after a moment, and the man chuckled. He bit down on her collarbone, enough to leave a faint bruise but not nearly as hard as last time, and heard her gasp in surprise.

"I'm not your boyfriend so I can't feel things for you?"

"I never said that."

"You implied it."

"I did not, and you know it." She retorted, and again he chuckled, now placing a kiss on the bruise he made.

"Are you hinting that you want me as your boyfriend?"

"It would make things easier to deal with, given our recent…" As she spoke, Bickslow trailed the tip of his long tongue along her neck, licking up the salty sweat from the day's training session. "Situations." His tongue reached the base of her ear.

"What about Natsu?"

"He's in love with Lucy."

"So why'd you make out with him? That's two other guys you've been kissing." He whispered in her ear, and felt her face radiate with heat.

"I didn't. I gave him a hickey so that Lucy would get jealous. It was Natsu's idea."

"I'm sure it was." He spoke, enjoying the annoyed sounds she was making. As his hand on her hip teasingly dipped under her shirt and stroked her skin, her breath hitched. "Why would I want to date someone that plays the field so much?"

"You're the one that set me up with Natsu."

"On the first date." He said, inching his hand a little higher, but not enough to make any significant distance.

"Do you have any interest in dating, or just toying with me?" She finally asked, and he moved so that his face was just above hers, looking into her eyes with their noses barely touching. Their eyes had since adjusted to the darkness, so although they couldn't see too much, they could make out each other's features.

"Both." He said with a smile, staring into her wonderfully brown eyes. Fingers trailed from his shoulder to his chin, where she slowly cupped the side of his face and caressed his cheek with her thumb. "If we did decide to officially start being a thing, I think it would be good to keep it secret for a while. Fairy Tail is a gossip mill with this kind of thing."

"That's a good point. It would be awkward to involve the guild and then we don't work out."

"You think we won't last?"

"I don't have the best track record with relationships. If I recall, you don't either."

"So you think we'll fail?"

"I hope not. It would break my heart if we did." She said and reached up, meeting his lips with hers.

9.

"'Don't break her heart', _Bixy_." Laxus teased the next day when they were alone, smirking at the glare resulted.

"You were eavesdropping on us? Not cool, man."

"I have good hearing, remember?"

"We were too far from the temple grounds for that for that bullshit."

"I was out on a stroll last night. If I had been in my room, I would have been out of range." The blond told him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell the others. Just stop being so mushy with her here. We're here to train, not flirt."

"What's wrong with doing both?"

"Because if you two have a fight, and you will, it's going to affect the rest of us."

"It's gonna be fine, dude. Don't worry about it."

"YOU CAN BELLYDANCE!?" Evergreen screamed at the top of her lungs, midfight with Kibo. Everyone on the sidelines turned to face them, surprised by the outburst, and looking at them in rejuvenated interest.

Kibo punched her in the face, effectively knocking her out.

"Yes. I can." The brunette muttered, and looked over at the green-haired mage. "Want to fight next?"

"Very well." He said, and set his sword to the side, since they were doing non-magic battles.

"Belly dancing, huh?" Bickslow asked from the sidelines, snickering at the look that Kibo gave him.

10.

About a week later, they received a surprise visit from their Guild Master. The old man walked up to the group in the courtyard with a soft smile on his face.

"Guild Master!" Evergreen said happily, a similar expression on most of her colleague's faces.

"What brings you all the way here?" Kibo asked before picking up her waterbottle. The group had just decided to take a break for lunch, so the old man had great timing.

"We were just about to break for lunch. Will you join us?" Fried asked, mimicking Kibo and grabbing his waterbottle.

"Sure. I have things I hoped to discuss with you guys." He responded with a grin.

Once lunch was set up and food was being served, the older man started talking about the Grand Magic Games, and what he was planning for it.

"I was hoping to get your opinions on the matter for who I should send. We're allowed to send in two teams to compete."

"Two teams?" Kibo asked in surprise, and he nodded.

"You've competed in the Games a few times now, haven't you?" Makarov asked her, and she grinned.

"Yeah. Still lost, though."

"How many times have you competed?"

"4. First year I had the unfortunate experience of fighting Bacchus. It sucked."

"Whose Bacchus?" Bickslow asked curiously.

"He's a master at drunk martial arts. We'll probably see him competing again this year." She said with a frown, looking at the clouds as she recalled the experience.

"What do you recommend when forming teams?" Makarov asked, watching her turn to him and blink in surprise.

"Uh… well, since the games change so drastically every year and we never know what the challenges would be, it's probably best to diversify the teams as much as possible. Sabertooth wins every year, and since they have two dragonslayers as their main muscle, it would be best to have all of our dragonslayers competing."

"I agree. What would you think of Lucy competing?"

"Considering how rare celestial wizards are nowadays, she would be a great choice. Despite being physically weak, she's proven to be a very powerful and competent wizard. She'd also be great back up for Natsu."

"What do you think would be a good team, Laxus?" Makarov asked, turning to his unusually quiet grandson.

The blonde looked at him, surprised by the change in attention, but nonetheless swallowed the bite of food in his mouth to answer. "For one of the teams, having S-ranked wizards would be best. Me, Mirajane, Erza, Gajeel, and Juvia. They may not have passed our s-class trials, but they were some of the best in their previous guild."

"I had similar thoughts. I'm planning to make one of the teams be Natsu's group, which includes Erza. Leaving one spot open." He said. "Any other suggestions?"

"Anyone in the Thunder Legion would be a good choice." He said with a shrug.

"What would you say to having another shot at Bacchus, Kibo?" The guild master asked, getting yet another surprised look from her.

"You want me to be the fifth member?"

"But she barely knows any magic." Evergreen spoke.

"I have a theory that she's a lot stronger than she lets on." The old man spoke with a glint in his eye, ignoring the annoyed sigh that the brunette made. "So, will you do it?"

"… I won't let you down." Kibo told him, a grin on her face.

"Good, then it's settled. Team A will be Natsu's group, consisting of Erza, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy. Team B will be Laxus, Juvia, Gajeel, Mira, and Kibo."

"Why are we 'Team B'?" Laxus asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Because I'm not going to tell Natsu's group about you." He said with a mischievous grin.

11.

"You excited to be competing in the games?" Bickslow asked the girl in his arms, and waited patiently for a response. When several seconds rolled by, he carefully peered over to look at her face, finding that she was sound asleep.

Given their change in training tactics, he couldn't blame her. Laxus decided that since she was also competing, both of them would work twice as hard. At several points in the day it was Thunder Legion vs. Kibo, or everyone vs. Laxus, and both of them were pretty beat up by the end. They had planned to do an early morning meditation together tomorrow, though Bickslow suspected that the brunette would sleep through it.

The pair was in the same spot as the night before, gazing out into the silent lake for long periods of time with light discussion topics. He had been tempted to tease her about her training, but given her exhausted state, figured he wouldn't get much of a reaction from her anyway.

Even if he couldn't talk to her, he still enjoyed having her in his arms. He was the only person in his team that wasn't a morning person, so while they all planned to do their meditation at ungodly hours in the morning, he did them at night. Meditation helped strengthen his magic, along with his bond with his souls, making it an extremely useful training exercise.

Kibo had been nice enough to humor him the past few nights, doing both the morning exercises and keeping him company at night. The strain of getting so little sleep was beginning to affect her day to day training.

Training for him wasn't out of the ordinary, and he enjoyed it immensely. He'd also been training with his team for years, which made him not only more comfortable with the group but already catered the exercises to benefit his style of fighting. As he watched Kibo fight, he admired that she tried so hard to keep up with them, but ultimately she was struggling. They used completely different magic than she did, and although it allowed for her to think outside of the box, it also had her at a complete disadvantage.

Warmth radiated from her body, and when a cool breeze chilled his skin, he pulled her closer to him.


	8. Chapter 8

B Chapter 8

Grand Magic Games

About a week before they were set to leave for the Games, the Thunder Legion had the opportunity to go home, rest, and further prepare for the games.

Once he was finally alone with her after three agonizing months of censoring himself, he couldn't wait to play his own games with her. When they were at the temple, since Laxus could hear their conversations even when they were miles away, or at least there was a chance he'd hear them, he couldn't risk talking to Kibo in the ways he wanted to. Their conversations were annoyingly PG and limited.

He wanted to tease her. Love her. Taunt her. Cuddle her. Make her scream his name as he-

"What are you making?" Kibo asked curiously, wandering into the kitchen area after changing into sweatpants and a loose shirt. Her hair was still wet from her shower, and she was in the process of combing her shoulder length brown locks.

"Chili, pasta noodles, and garlic bread." He replied, just now setting the lid back on the pot to cook. His eyes wandered up and down her body, silently wishing she were wearing less clothing.

"See something you like?" She asked, noticing his stare. Her face turned red when he closed the gap between them, an animalistic glint in his eyes as he backed her into the wall. Her comb dropped to the ground.

"Now how are you going to win the games being so clumsy?" Bickslow asked, his dark eyes piercing hers with an intensity that left her speechless. "What if one of the challenges is a race, and you drop the baton?"

"I'm not going to."

"Good." He said, reaching his hand up and pressing against her shoulder, effectively pinning her to the wall. His other hand rested on her hip, also pushing it against the blue paint. "Hypothetically, if you did…" He trailed off, and tilted his head to get access to her neck, where he abruptly bit down and caused a surprised gasp to leave her beautiful lips.

"It's not much of a threat it you do it anyway."

"Hmmm… so you're suggesting that I get more creative?" He mused, licking at the new bruise he'd created.

"You're the one that loves games."

"Don't you like being my little mouse? I always make sure to give you prizes at the end."

He pulled her into a kiss for emphasis, immediately gaining access to her mouth and exploring it with his tongue. The sound of her moan sparked something inside of him, and caused him to deepen the kiss. Her hands entangled themselves in his hair, nails lightly trailing his scalp and sending tingles down his spine.

Heat was accumulating not only from their bodies but from the cooking food as well, making the room like a sauna.

Bickslow pulled back to take his shirt off, feeling a little too heated, and took the time to look at his lover's flushed face. Her face was becoming increasingly red, and he smirked, knowing that she was mentally debating whether to look at his naked chest or not. His hand jutted forward and tugged at the hem of her shirt, hoping she'd get the hint.

Awkwardly, she removed her hands from his neck and began removing her shirt. When the woman had the shirt over her head and was about to toss it to the side, Bickslow grabbed the fabric and used it as makeshift handcuffs. Keeping her hands restrained above her head, he let his hungry eyes wander along her well toned abdomen. His free hand moved on its own, trailing along her chiseled stomach and pushing her hip when she squirmed.

His eyes finally landed on her chest, where he was partially surprised to find a black sports bra. A small amount of cleavage was showing, but after seeing her train in that sports bra so many times, it was hardly anything he hadn't seen.

Noticing that her nipples were poking through the fabric, he leaned down and nipped one of them, causing her body to jerk at the sudden sensation. His hand kept her waist firm against the wall, threatening to bruise at the force he applied.

"Someone's excited." He commented, looking up to watch the embarrassed look in her eye. Nipping at the small cone again, she jerked once more.

She sighed in frustration.

He gave the sensitive little nub a kiss before slowly moving up her breast, trailing kisses along the way. When he reached her ear, he gave her lobe a small lick. "What do you want me to do?"

"Let me touch you, for one." She said, and when he turned to look at her, saw lust in her eyes.

"All in good time. Right now I want to do things to you."

"Fine, I want to be touched."

"Where?"

"Everywhere." She answered, and he started moving his hand across her damp skin, eliciting a satisfied moan. "Please,"

"Please what? Use your words, little Kibo." He whispered, and began placing kisses along the side of her face, along her jaw line, and along her neck. His tongue trailed slow, delicate circles along her skin as well, some spots getting more of a reaction than others.

Her arms strained against his hand, but he held her firm, keeping her in place.

"Now now, use your words."

"Release my hands."

"Nope." He replied, and slipped his hand to her lower back, allowing her to press against him for the first time. When she tried to lock their lips together, he diverted his lips to her neck, and she did the same to him. A loud groan vibrated against her lips as she bit down and sucked on his skin, letting her tongue and lips ravage the sensitive flesh. "And I thought I was good with my tongue."

Another groan escaped him as she sucked on his lobe, gently rolling the object between her teeth and tongue.

He gently pushed her back, returning the palm of his hand to her hip, pushing her back into the wall. She tried to bite down on his ear to make him stay in place, but failed to get a good grip.

She pouted, looking into his delighted eyes.

The timer went off, causing his gaze to return to the food he was cooking, realizing that the chili was about to boil over.

1.

Kibo had hoped that a long walk with nothing but the cool night air would sooth her nerves and sexual frustration. She liked Bickslow, but goddamnit, his games were going to make her snap soon. Everytime things got heated between them, he'd stop and get distracted by something, or claim that it's 'not the right time'. He claimed that he wanted her first time to be special, but she wasn't sure if he was being chivalrous or using it as an excuse to further toy with her.

But she had other things to focus on.

Tactics. Technique.

The first day of the Grand Magic Games was tomorrow, and she couldn't stay focused. Bickslow haunted her thoughts despite her attempts to keep him out, and if she didn't play her cards right, could end in either losing or giving away her past to the world.

She'd given her word to Makarov that she would win. If that required using her old, extremely dangerous magic, then she would use it. Hoping that it would never come to that, she'd already planned a few of her less obvious dragon spells to use should the occasion arise.

Fairy Tail will win this year.

She would make sure of that.

Mirajane had helped her pick out a new fighting wardrobe for the games, so that when they won, they'd win in style.

"Kibo?" The familiar voice caused her to stop, turning towards the sound with an automatic grin on her face.

"Wendy, Carla." She greeted, watching them approach her. "What are you guys doing out so late?" The brunette questioned, noticing herself that it was getting dark. As she briefly gazed at her surroundings, she found herself in a beautiful park next to the castle. "Crap, what time is it?" She asked, suddenly remembering the midnight rule.

"It's only 10. We were going to head back after looking at the garden." Carla told her, watching the brunette give a sigh of relief. "What are you doing out so late?" The Exceed countered.

"Just trying to clear my head. I heard that you're competing in the games tomorrow, are you excited?" She asked the blue-haired girl, surprised by the determined look on her face.

"Of course! I'm going to do my best!" She replied.

"Good. I look forward to seeing you kick some butt." Kibo said with a grin, but then her eyes widened when the ground started moving behind them. "Get back." She told them, recognizing the form emerging and trying to grab them. Their bodies collapsed to the ground before she could get them.

"Time to collect," The skeleton cackled.

"What the hell did you do to them?" Kibo sneered, kneeling down to check their pulses.

"I merely drained their magic. They'll be fine."

"The deal was that you wouldn't hurt anyone in my guild." She said, but then jumped back as a blade was thrust towards her. "Get the hell away from them!" Kibo yelled, watching the skeleton gently press a blade against the side of Wendy's neck, not enough to cut her skin but enough to make his point. The brunette glared, sending her blood magic into the ground.

"Let us try a spell on you, and if you cooperate, we'll let the girl go."

"The deal was that you'd wait a few months."

"And why the hell should we let you manage the terms of the agreement?" He asked, and cried out in surprise as blood shot up and sent his bones flying backwards. Kibo ran forward and cast an incantation around the unconscious women, barely finishing it in time before the group of metal creatures descended on her.

2.

"What the hell is taking her so long?" Laxus complained, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. "She's cutting it pretty damn close."

"It sounds like Wendy and Carla are missing, too. I can hear Natsu's team worrying about her." Gajeel spoke from the window, gazing out into the city.

"I'll go out and look for her. She probably got lost or something." Bickslow spoke, and stood up from the seat he had been occupying. Fried rose as well.

"I'll join you. Hopefully we can find Wendy as well." The green-haired mage spoke.

"I hope they're alright." Mirajane spoke.

"We should have a backup plan in case she doesn't show up, and a group activity happens at midnight. Mystogan," Laxus spoke, turning to the impersonator. "Will you be okay taking her place?"

"Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but yes." He replied.

"If she shows up before we get back, call us." Bickslow told them, holding up his card. Evergreen nodded, having her own tucked away in her purse.

3.

Bickslow and Fried ran through the streets, checking their cards every few seconds. It had just passed midnight and the sky was filled with bridges and a huge staircase, ball, of sorts, with teams from all over the city running into the preliminary round.

"Where the hell is she!?" The seith mage muttered, and then saw another Fairy Tail member running in a similar frantic fashion down the street. "Oi! Kana!" Waving her down, the two wizards ran towards her.

"Have you guys seen Wendy or Carla!?"

"No, have you seen Kibo?"

"Kibo's missing too!?" She asked, and they nodded. "What the hell is going on? Is someone sabotaging our guild?!"

"I don't know, but Mystogan had to take her place for this round. Hopefully Natsu's team found a replacement."

"Elfman took her place." She told them, and then looked up, hearing a small familiar voice flying from above. Happy was flying towards them, yelling Fried's name several times.

"Fried, we need your help! There's an enchantment around Wendy and Carla, and they look hurt!"

"An enchantment?" He asked, surprised by the news.

"Was Kibo with them?" Bickslow asked him, and the cat gave him a confused look.

"I didn't see her. Kibo is missing!?"

"Let's go help Wendy, and hopefully more clues will be there. Let's not worry until we have reason to." Fried told his friend, trying to give him a reassuring look. The male nodded, and as Happy took to the sky again, the small group followed him.

"We're off to a great start with these games." Kana spoke as they ran, and the seith mage couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good thing we know how to play dirty, too." He spoke, already thinking about payback plans should his worse fears be true.

When they finally reached the palace gardens, they found Lisanna standing near an unconscious Wendy and Carla. She was standing a few feet away, unable to pass through the invisible wall surrounding the pair.

Fried reached his hand out to touch the enchantment, activating it and allowing him to see the inscription more closely. "Kibo cast this. I taught it to her when we were training." He spoke, and easily undid the spell, allowing Lisanna and Happy access to the two women.

"Whatever happened, looks like there was a struggle." Kana commented, looking around at the surrounding bushes and pathway that was damaged.

"Kibo!" Bickslow yelled, and briefly waited for a response before summoning his babies. He jumped onto them, allowing him air access to search the garden. "Kibo, Kibo!" His babies echoed.

4.

Laxus ground his teeth, watching as Natsu and Lucy left the battle field. It was a dirty fight, and for whatever reason, Raven Tail was targeting all of them. To make things worse, they were targeting their weakest members. He couldn't help feel partially responsible for Kibo's disappearance, since he'd suggested her as a candidate for this team.

Bickslow, Fried, and several other wizards from the guild were still searching for the little martial artist, with no luck. They'd been searching all night. Earlier that evening a member of Raven Tail inferred that she was dead, and given the amount of blood at the palace gardens, he feared that it might be true.

Mystogan made a good replacement in terms of strength, but he was also risky. If anyone found out his true identity, it could mean big trouble for the guild.

There was also the risk that Kibo would be chosen to fight today, and if she didn't show up, Mystogan wouldn't be able to take her place. It would be an automatic forfeit.

The blond heard something break near him, and turned to see that Gajeel had broken a glass of water he'd been holding. "Raven Tail is going to pay for this."

"They're going down." Laxus agreed, looking over at the guild in question and narrowing his eyes at them.

"It seems like they're targeting our guild." Mirajane commented. "I hope Kibo is okay."

"Sorry for making you worry." The sound of her voice caused everyone to turn, surprised and relieved by her presence. As usual, her wide grin was encompassing her face, as if nothing had happened. "I got here as fast as I could."

"Kibo!" Mirjane exclaimed, and ran over to pull her into a hug, unintentionally causing the woman to cry out in pain. The white-haired mage pulled back, now noticing deep gouges on the woman's face, and they looked to be extending below the black cloak she wore. Without asking, she pulled open the woman's cloak, revealing an extremely injured arm. "What happened?!"

"Hey, don't panic too much. It looks bad but I've already healed the worst injuries." She told her, but as the woman's gaze wandered across the mauled flesh, her words did nothing to comfort her.

"Raven Tail did that?" Mystogan asked.

"More or less. I'll explain the details later. Are Wendy and Carla okay?"

"They're okay, but they're shaken up. Fried had to undo the enchantment you cast to get to them." Laxus told her, and she sighed in relief. "Bickslow and the others have been looking for you all night." He said, and pulled out his card to press the button on it, signaling to the others that Kibo was there.

"I'll take you to Porleuscia. You shouldn't be moving with all these injuries." Mirajane told her, and started to gently push her towards the door, but she stayed put.

"Nah, I'm fine to fight. I've had worse injuries, and besides, the bleeding has stopped for most of them." She said, trying to muster the most convincing grin possible. "I am starving, though. Anyone got a sandwich or something?"

"Iron?" The dragonslayer suggested, lifting up a small baggie of iron nails.

"That'll work. I can reimburse you later."

"Don't worry about it." He said, and tossed the bag to her, oblivious to the confused stares of his comrades. Eating iron nails and bolts was so normal to him it didn't even register how odd it was.

"I'm using blood magic to heal myself, and since there's so much iron in blood…" Kibo explained as she started munching on the nails, and then took a seat on the small couch. "So, can you guys explain what's been going on?"

"Every day there's a surprise group challenge, where we send in one team member to participate in. The max number of points possible is 10. For the second half of the day, there are one-on-one battles. Each mage is chosen by a committee, and the battles aren't announced until right before. Whoever wins gets 10 points." Laxus explained, trying to not be unnerved by the scratches along her face and neck. He knew she had a high tolerance for pain, and Bickslow had boasted on more than one occasion that her healing magic 'was the shit'. Hell, she'd brought Evergreen back to life.

"If it's a draw, both teams get 5 points." Gajeel added.

"Kibo, even if you're chosen, you don't have to fight today." Mirajane told her, causing her to look over at her in surprise. The white-haired mage had taken a seat beside her, and unlike her male colleagues, she was much more worried about the injuries. Kibo tried to subtly make her cloak fall back over her shoulders, hiding some of the blood. "Everyone will understand."

"I told you, I'm fine. I've already healed the worse injuries. I'm not going to let you guys down again."

"I just got our line up for the next match!" The announcer spoke, causing the group to become silent. "Jura Neekis vs. Kibo Hissori!"

"They're having you fight one of the ten wizard saints?" Laxus asked in surprise, and could hear the yells of outrage from his guild across the stadium. "What the hell are they thinking?"

As Kibo stood, Mirajane reached up to grab her arm. Her crystal blue eyes were watery, and tears were threatening to fall. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm not going to lose." The brunette said with a wink, and walked away.

"So how strong is Jura?" Gajeel asked the blond after she left.

"Kibo doesn't stand a chance." He replied easily, turning to look at Raven Tail again, wondering if they had something to do with it.

A few minutes later, Bickslow and Fried barged into the room, frantically craning their necks to find Kibo. Fried had bags under his eyes and hair was frayed, and while Bickslow's sleep deprivation wasn't quite as visible, he was audibly frantic. "Where is she?"

"Fighting." Laxus told him, indicating with his head to the battlefield. The two wizards ran to the railing, looking at the two wizards in the middle of the field with wide eyes. "Whatever idiot setting up the fights paired her with Jura, one of the ten wizard saints."

"What?!" Bickslow asked, his reaction similar to the rest of the guild's. "She's going to get pummeled! And where the hell has she been all night?!"

"Quit your bellyaching and watch the match." Gajeel spoke, ignoring the growl and glare from the older wizard, his eyes on the match.

Kibo yawned tiredly into her hand, and tilted her head to both sides, emitting loud cracks from her neck. She tried to ignore the mixed yells and cheers from her guild, along with the comments Laxus was making about her predicted downfall in this match.

"I don't remember seeing you earlier today." Jura commented several yards away, waiting for the pumpkin creature to announce the beginning of the match.

"I got held up." She said with a grin, resisting the urge to scratch the back of her neck. She was hoping to keep visibility of her arms to a minimal, at least for now.

"Will you be able to fight with those injuries?"

"I've had worse."

"You fought Bacchus a few years back, didn't you?"

"Yeah, he kicked my ass. I was hoping for a rematch, but it seems I won't be getting one this year."

"I'm surprised that they paired me to fight you. No offense, but if they were going to pair me with anyone from Fairy Tail, I would have thought I'd fight Laxus or Mystogan."

"To be honest, I have no idea why they picked this battle either. Not that it matters, because I'm going to win." Kibo said with a cocky smirk, and with that last comment, they heard the pumpkin man begin to announce the start of their battle.

"Jura Neekis vs. Kibo Hissori, begin!" The pumpkin man said, and without waiting, Kibo cast her first spell.

"Summoning spell: Lightning." She said quietly, and as the clouds above them darkened, her opponent watched in curiosity. Lightning struck down on her, and after several seconds of contact, dissipated. The sky returned to normal, and Kibo smirked.

She ran at Jura, dodging the pillars of earth that he sent towards her and moving at lightning speeds. He managed to land one of his hits, the pillar sending her flying into the air and landing on the flat surface of another rock. The robed man cast a spell, causing a giant fist to rise from the ground and hurtle towards her.

Instead of dodging, she met the fist hit on, punching it while simultaneously casting a spell. The rock molded around her, turning into a giant snake and turning back towards Jura. Kibo appeared on the snake's head, and as the snake opened its mouth, a giant flame erupted from its mouth.

As Jura made a vertical wall to block the attack, the brunette launched herself into the air, flipping mid air so that she was upside down. She didn't verbally say the spell, but she cast 'blood dragon roar', which to the outside observer looked like a massive tunnel of electrical and fire energy erupting from her mouth.

She fell, preparing her fist to hit him. As the tunnel of magical energy dispersed, none of it actually hitting him but instead keeping him in place, she punched him directly in the forehead.

He stared, eyes wide, and the woman could have sworn that she saw recognition in his eyes.

As he collapsed to the ground she fell to her feet gracefully, and then quickly jumped away, preparing for the fight to continue.

To her astonishment, and confusion, he didn't get up.

He lay there for several seconds, the entire stadium silent and waiting for him to move, only for the pumpkin man to walk up to them.

"…. The surprising winner is Kibo!"

Fairy Tail cheered loudly, despite their utter confusion at the advanced magic their friend had displayed, happy to have gotten the 10 points. Some of them were just happy to see that she was safe and sound, since she'd been missing for the entire night and morning.

Kibo made her way over to the exit, sighing tiredly.

5.

Aside from the occasional 'congrats' for Kibo's victory in her match, Fairy Tail was pretty glum. They were in a local bar, either drinking and complaining about Raven Tail, or fighting everyone, like Natsu was.

"Now that you've eaten pretty much the entire kitchen…" Bickslow commented to the young woman, referring to the very tall stack of plates before them. He was also surprised that she was resting against his shoulder so openly, eyes closed in either sleep or happiness at being full. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Yeah! We were worried sick about you!" Evergreen told her, and the sound of her high-pitched voice caused her to flinch.

"I'm sorry that I made you guys worried. Skeleton guys joined Ravel Tail. Raven Tail convinced them to not only break the deal I had with them, but to also attack any other Fairy Tail member they happened across. They attacked me with magic stealing weapons and tried their damndest to kill me with them. I was clinically dead for most of the night." She said, not bothering to open her eyes to look at their expressions. "As soon as I had healed my internal injuries, I ran to our room to change, and then straight to the games."

"Gah! Raven Tail really piss me off!" Natsu yelled nearby, punching his unfortunate sparring partner rather hard.

"Skeleton guys? The same ones that attacked us months ago?" Gray asked.

"Yep."

"That was also some advanced magic back there." Laxus brought up, referring to her battle with Jura. "Would have been nice to train with." He added with a glare.

"Are you referring to the lightning magic?"

"Lightning, fire, earth," He listed, trying to remember which elements she used. "I'm guessing you used iron at some point since you were eating it beforehand."

"I've used them in training. I just use them in less obvious ways." She said, her eyes still closed and leaning against the seith mage. The scratches on her face were beginning to disappear before their eyes. "I only use them in more… obvious ways when I have to. It can be extremely lethal if I misjudge the strength of my opponent."

"She beat one of the Ten Wizard Saints today. Isn't that what counts?" Bickslow said, hoping to diffuse some of his leader's anger. He could understand his frustration, given that Kibo had straight up lied about her fighting abilities after training with them for months, but she did have good reason for it. And in the end, the little dragonslayer did what she said she would- win.

Laxus's sharp blue eyes locked with his visor for a moment, annoyed with the interruption, but nonetheless sighed. "Yeah. Good job today, Kibo."

The group waited for her to respond for a few seconds, but after half a minute rolled by, they figured that she fell asleep. "Kibo?" Bickslow asked, trying to peer over his shoulder at her. As he shifted she started to slide into him, so he to reach up and gently push her back.

"What a troublesome girl." Evergreen commented.

"I'm just glad she's alright. It got tiresome hearing Bickslow scream her name over and over again last night." Fried commented, causing his teammates to erupt in laughter while the seith mage turned beat red.

"Phrasing, dude!"

Fried merely chuckled, hiding his smirk as he took a sip of his drink.

6.

After awkwardly volunteering to take Kibo back to her room, and successfully getting there, he found himself in a rather awkward situation.

The room was dark, except for the dim light shining through the window. It was nearing sunset, so shades of yellows and oranges filled the room. There were five beds in the room, one for each team member, and their belongings were strewn about in various states of cleanliness or disarray.

Bickslow had gently lay her down on her respective bed, and after kissing her forehead sweetly and wished her sweet dreams, he turned to leave. Something snagged on his shirt, and when he looked down, realized that Kibo grabbed the fabric.

She appeared to be sleeping still, but as he tried to gently unfurl her fist, found that it was particularly strong. Under normal circumstances he would be flattered by the fierce grip keeping him close to her and would even crawl into bed with her, but given the fact that the room was shared with 4 other wizards. All of whom would tease them mercilessly for weeks….

"Kibo," He whispered, trying to wake her up. Nudging her, he said her name again, hoping to briefly stir her from slumberland.

Instead, since he was slightly leaning over her, it made it easier to reach up and grab the nape of his neck, causing him to brace his fall by extending his hands to the other side of her.

"Oi, wake up." He said a bit louder.

The grip on his neck was tight, and he briefly wondered where she got so much strength. It took all of his to stay upright.

When he felt her hand release his shirt but try and wrap around his waist, he quickly grabbed the free hand and pinned it to the bed next to her. "Come on. If you weren't sharing this room I would join you. This is just mean."

"Bixy…" She pleaded, lips parted, and for a moment he considered letting her win, but then Mirajane's voice talking about future weddings and babies entered his mind. Not to mention that if she caught whiff of them, she'd tell the entire guild.

"Kibo, wake up." He said, finding that his muscles were beginning to get tired from the strain. Seriously, how did she gain so much muscle in a day? "Come on, any of your teammates could come back at any time."

She sighed, her expression overly peaceful and cute, and he wondered if she was asleep at all.

"This is a bad joke."

He tried to pull against the hand on his neck, but the death grip was firm. Tentatively, he lowered himself a little closer to her in hopes of relinquishing the grip, only for her fingers to inch towards a better grip.

"This is ridiculous."

No reaction.

"Kibo…" He muttered, glaring at her adorable sleeping face. "Fine. You win."

He lowered himself to the other side of her, reaching his knee over so that his weight was on the bed, and then laid down next to her. Hesitantly, he let go of her wrist, hoping that it wouldn't bite him in the ass.

Or maybe he did. He was pretty conflicted at the moment.

"I'm only staying for ten minutes, and then I'm out of here." Bickslow stated assuredly, and put his arm under her neck while the other went around her waist. The deathgrip relinquished and was replaced by her other arm snaking around his waist, allowing her to cuddle closer to him.

She did feel nice against him.

He pulled her cloak over them as a sort of light blanket.

After his entire night of searching for her, he was pretty tired, and his muscles were sore. Not to mention the magic drain from overusing his babies as a flying skateboard, and then sending them souring through the city.

"Just ten minutes." He repeated, letting his eyes drift to a close. Just for a moment.

7.

Mirajane could barely contain the bubbly squeal that threatened to pierce the quiet air.

They were just too cute.

"Bickslow did stay up all night yesterday…" Laxus spoke, internally smirking at the couple. As he looked over at the white-haired mage, he could practically see the infamous match-maker making wedding plans in her mind.

"I wish Gray would hold me like that." Juvia sulked as she side stepped the two wizards and plopped down on her bed, too depressed to change out of her clothes.

"Such… cute… babies…." Mirajane said with a giggly grin, squirming in her spot as she day dreamed.

1.

Kibo woke up to an odd sensation. No, it wasn't Bickslow- she was used to waking up next to him by now.

There was a strange magical energy coming from outside, and when she focused on it, realized it was Lucy. But she sounded different. When the brunette tried to use her extra sense to hone in on her, she found that she was extremely upset, and her magic was off. Not to mention her keys were absent.

Lucy was walking down the street outside, and given the strange circumstances, Kibo carefully removed herself from the seith mage's arms. He mumbled something under his breath as she left, but she could catch what it was.

Slipping her sandals on, she quietly left the room, trying not to wake her teammates.

Once she made it outside, she jogged towards the strange Lucy, since she had gotten several blocks away by the time Kibo had left the building. Further unusual to the blonde's M.O., she was dressed in a cloak.

She turned down another street, and entered into a park. Kibo was about to call out to her, but for whatever reason, her magic suddenly disappeared.

The brunette ran towards where she last saw the blond, but as she looked around the area, found that she was nowhere to be seen. For whatever reason the magical energy in the area was fluctuating strangely, and made it difficult for her to track Lucy's magic signature.

"Miss Hissori," A voice spoke, the voice startling her despite having sensed his arrival. She turned to look at the taller man, and discovering that it was Jura gave an awkward smile. "I was hoping to speak with you."

"Have you seen a woman in a cloak pass by here?"

"Sorry, you're the only person I've seen recently. It's an odd hour for anyone to be walking about." He said, and at the mention of the time, Kibo looked up at the sky, noticing that she could still see the stars. "I was curious as to why you're hiding your identity."

At the question, Kibo returned her gaze to the taller man, blinking at him in confusion. "Hiding?"

"I suspected it was you when I heard your name and face a few years ago, but I wasn't certain until we fought today. You look the same as the first time we met, so I suspected that you were a descendent of yourself."

"Sorry, not sure what you're talking about." The brunette stated, crossing her arms under the black cloak.

"Do you not remember me?"

"Sorry, I'm terrible with faces. Don't take it personally." She said, the awkward smile staying plastered to her face.

"I suppose I have changed quite a bit over the years, so it's understandable that you would forget. You saved my life, along with the lives of my town and future villages the dragon would have slaughtered."

Kibo's eyes widened in realization, and then she turned, cursing under her breath. She'd tried so hard to forget everything associated with her training, and since so many people died during it, she forgot about the few survivors that did escape the dragon's wrath.

"I never got the chance to thank you."

"The guy I killed was your master, wasn't it?" She asked, keeping her gaze averted to a tree nearby, noticing that there was a birds nest in it.

"Given the circumstances, you had no choice. I hold no ill will towards you for his death. I could see it in your eyes that you didn't want to harm him, and the fact that you saved my life proves that." He told her, not hiding his confusion at her sour expression. "If a wizard attacked me using a puppet, I wouldn't blame the puppet, I'd blame the puppet master."

"It's no excuse. I don't deserve praise, I deserve damnation."

Jura paused, looking at the young woman, trying to pick his words carefully. "Stockholm Syndrome has always been fascinating to me. The victim needs to blame themselves rather than the abuser, or equates themselves with the darkness of the abuser."

"I've lost count of the people that have died by my hand."

"If the dragon hadn't been controlling you, would you have done so?"

Her jaw clenched. "No."

"Since you killed him, have you killed anyone since?"

"I've killed one person since then."

"What were the circumstances?"

"He was going to slaughter my guild."

"You don't sound like a monster to me." He commented, watching her gaze briefly meet his, conflicting emotions swirling in her darkened eyes.

"So is that why you gave up the match yesterday? Because you felt like you owed me?"

"Yes and no. When you stated you were going to win, and I realized who you were, I knew that I didn't stand a chance. I've been waiting almost 10 years to thank you, so it felt wrong to fight, especially since we knew who the victor would be."

She sighed, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Did you know that you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints?" He asked, and at the statement, she returned his gaze to him. He was smiling. "Given the fact that you killed one of the strongest dragons in history, and later evidence shows that you defeated some of the strongest wizards alive, you're listed as number 3 on the list."

She stared at him, unsure how to take the information. Having never received praise for her past, nor ever expecting to, it was a lot to take in. "Why are you so certain that the dragon was controlling me? For all you know, I'm a deranged psychopath that decided to take the dragon on."

"Because I was there when you fought him. I saw the pain and torture first hand." He told her. "If you don't believe me, you can ask your Guild Master. He'll confirm that a dragonslayer by the name of Kibo is a Wizard Saint. I'm surprised that he didn't tell you sooner."

"He probably thinks that I'm a relative, not the real deal, like you did." She spoke, looking back at the empty bird's next.

"… I'm not going to out you to your guild. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets. The title of Wizard Saint is yours to take or not." He said, and then bowed to her, causing her cheeks to turn pink. "Until next we meet, Great Dragonslayer. Good luck in the games." He spoke, and then walked away, leaving her speechless.

2.

Mirajane wouldn't stop staring at Kibo that morning. If the brunette wasn't so wrapped up in her thoughts regarding the conversation with Jura, she would have been bothered by it.

They were all hanging out in the observation room, waiting for the games to begin. Mirajane had been nice enough to buy tons of breakfast and lunch foods for them to eat, which made their waiting much more enjoyable.

Kibo ended up sitting sideways on the couch, side resting against the back and legs bent in front of her. She'd been nibbling on the same donut for a half hour before Mirajane finally sat in front of her, getting her attention.

"When's the wedding?"

"Huh?" The brunette asked, confused.

"You and Bickslow. We saw you guys cuddling last night." She explained, smiling wide at the woman.

"Huh."

"So how long have you guys been dating?"

"We haven't. We're not dating."

"Why not? You two make such a cute couple."

"You say that about everyone." Kibo countered, trying to keep the blush from encompassing her face. "You said the same about Laxus and I last week."

"That was before I saw you and Bickslow cuddliiiing~"

"I wish Gray would hold me the way Bickslow held you." Juvia spoke, causing the blush to finally spread along the brunette's cheeks.

"Look, he probably just fell asleep after dropping me off. I didn't even know he'd stayed the night until I woke up this morning."

"Then why are your cheeks so red?" Mira asked, reaching over and poking one of her red cheeks.

"What do you see in the guy, anyway? He's so creepy." Gajeel asked from nearby, deciding to join the conversation amid munching away at his iron. "You could probably date anyone in the guild with your looks."

"Have you ever seen him without his visor?"

"Yeah. Blue hair, tattoo, and eyes that will possess your soul. As I said, creepy."

"It's pretty rare that he actually uses his eye powers." Laxus spoke, in defense of his friend. "The only times he uses it is in battle or training."

"Still. Creepy."

As Laxus and Gajeel began debating once again, Kibo's thoughts wandered back to her past, reevaluating her life.

The question kept entering her mind… Is she a monster, or simply a puppet? She didn't like either of those as descriptions for her, but they were the best ones she could come up with. Survivors of her village claimed that she deserved to die for her 'crimes', but someone else claims that she should be rewarded with the title of a Wizard Saint.

"… I'm sure that there's a sweet and sensitive side to Bickslow. Right, Kibo?" Mirajane spoke, causing the girl to look up at the mention of her name.

"What?"

"You're rather spacey today. What's on your mind? A certain seith mage?"

"Just thinking of a way to deal with the metal skeletons. Since they've joined Raven Tail, I'm not sure how to deal with them." She spoke, the tone in her voice convincing the group that those were her actual thoughts. Considering the injuries she got from them just two nights before and what happened with Wendy and Carla, it wasn't an absurd thing to think about. She also could use advice from the group, considering that they were some of the strongest wizards in her guild.

"Yesterday you mentioned some kind of deal you'd made with them?" Laxus asked.

She refrained from groaning, having hoped that no one caught that last night. Of course Laxus did. "I told them that if they didn't attack Fairy Tail for several months, I'd let them have another shot at fighting me. Given that I had a spell that could immobilize them whenever I wanted, they complied."

"So why don't you use that spell now?"

"They figured out a way around it. Probably with the help of their Raven Tail buddies."

"Bickslow's seith magic was pretty effective against them. Maybe he can help." Mirajane suggested, and despite the earlier conversation about the wizard, she had a good point.

"True. Perhaps unbinding their souls and destroying the bones might be enough… that poses the possibility of killing them, though."

"Why the hell are they going after you anyway?" The iron dragonslayer asked.

Just then, they saw the pumpkin man walk towards the center of the stadium, and a round of cheers was heard.

"Dibs on whatever the first challenge is." Gajeel spoke, standing up and cracking his neck.

"You better not fuck up." Laxus told him, earning an amused chuckle from the man.

3.

Laxus and Kibo stayed behind, watching the utter chaos that unfolded on the battlefield. It was supposed to be a fight, not a beauty contest, but somehow the entire guild had gotten roped into wearing skimpy/random outfits. Even some of the guys got roped into wearing suits.

"Why aren't you down there?" Laxus asked curiously, noticing that she was one of the only women not posing on the field.

"My injuries haven't fully healed. I'd look like Frankenstein's monster and scare everyone if I went down there." She answered, watching the scene in front of them with a bored expression. "Why aren't you?"

"Tch, like I'd ever do something so ridiculous." He stated, returning his attention to the field.

4.

"So why'd you ditch me this morning, eh?" Bickslow asked that evening, walking next to his not-as-secret-anymore girlfriend. After the games they'd decided to wander around a random park, and although he was trying to pick up conversation with her, her mind was elsewhere.

"Huh?" She asked, snapping away from her thoughts.

"Don't 'huh' me. When I woke up, you were gone, and your entire team was sleeping. You could have at least woke me up when you did. It would have been embarrassing to be woken up by one of them." He spoke, annoyed by how long it took her to realize what he was saying.

"Oh…"

"Where the hell did you run off to, anyway?"

"I sensed a weird magic…" She answered, suddenly realizing that she'd completely forgotten about it. "Damn, I forgot to talk to Lucy about that."

"What kind of magic?"

"It felt like Lucy, but it was something else. Different, upset- off. So I went to go investigate, but then lost her trail."

"She seemed fine last I saw her. A bit bummed since yesterday, which isn't surprising, but otherwise okay." He told her, but already saw her losing interest in the conversation yet again, becoming lost in her thoughts. Annoyed by the lack of attention he was getting, he looked around for a secluded area to take her.

There were some trees a little ways from the path that looked good enough. Taking her hand, he pulled her towards them, further inspecting them for privacy.

"Good enough." He muttered, and then swung the woman so that her back came in contact with one of the trees. The angle made them near invisible to any passerby, and he cast a silencing spell to make them further invisible.

"Eh? Why'd we come over here?" She asked, the innocence in her voice catching him off guard.

"… are you really that dense?" He asked without thinking, watching as her eyes narrowed into a terrifying glare. "That came out wrong. I brought you over here to be alone."

"… oh." Kibo replied, and after he gave her a peck on the lips, watched as her face heated up in realization to what he actually meant. The man smirked, glad to finally have her full attention. "… oh."

"You must really be distracted today to be ignoring me so much." He commented, placing one of his hands next to her head to lean against, while the other parted her cloak to find a comfortable place on the curve of her waist. He'd hated the damn cloak for hiding so much of her body from him.

"Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind."

"Have I been one of the things on your mind, at least?"

"Um… Mirajane and the others cornered me this morning about you."

"I'll take that as a no." Bickslow said, and pouted at her. "You don't like me anymore, Kibo-chan? Am I not cool and strong enough for you?"

"Eh? Of course I like you." She said, and then reached her hand up to the side of his face, pulling the visor and hood off of his head. As the objects collected around his neck, she smiled. "I've missed seeing your face."

"I don't know…" He muttered, looking away and pretending to doubt her affections.

She gently pushed his face back towards hers, using the hand that was still on his cheek. Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him, slow and lovingly. Unlike how Bickslow lead their make out sessions, she slowly licked at his teeth asking for entrance, passion laced with every millimeter of movement she made. Her movements were subtle, graceful, and purposeful; contrasting greatly with his usual harshness.

Enjoying the change in pace, he let her continue to lead. As he opened his mouth to her, she pulled him closer to her, other hand now on the back of his neck. She explored the moist cavern curiously, poking her tongue in an out of some places she was unsure of, and letting him get used to her entry.

The hand that used to be on his cheek now moved to his shoulder, then down his arm, and slowly made its way to his back.

They continued like this until their lips were numb, and even then they wanted to keep going. When Kibo removed her lips from his, he moved to place soft kisses on her face and down her neck. Darkness had fallen over them, but the light from various posts along the park trail gave them enough illumination to see their basic characteristics.

"That was hot." He told her, happy at the giggles that resulted. "When did you learn to kiss like that?"

"I may be a virgin, but I've had my fair share at kissing experiences."

"Should I be jealous?" He whispered, still placing kisses along her exposed skin.

"How many women have you slept with?" She countered.

"Touche." He replied, still busying himself with keeping his numb lips on her skin. "What's gotten you so preoccupied today, anyway?" The seith mage asked, deciding to lean back and look at her face. She was still adorably flushed from their earlier kissing, and he wanted to badly to take their sexual frustration to the next level.

Kibo sighed, as if she'd been hoping he wouldn't ask her.

"What secret are you hiding now, Kibo?" He asked, resting his now cold forehead against hers. Guessing games were one of his favorites.

"It's nothing. I just…"

"Hmmm?" He hummed with a wide grin, silently hoping that she would resist telling him.

"I talked to Jura this morning… he knew I was a dragonslayer. Apparently I saved his life a long time ago, and it's why he forfeited the match." She said, eyes tearing up.

His grin instantly disappeared.

"So why are you sad? It sounds like you lucked out, if anything."

"I've lived my life thinking that I should die for the horrible things I've done… but after knowing what I've done, after seeing me kill someone he cared about… he thinks it wasn't my fault." She sobbed, catching the man completely off-guard.

On the plus side, tears were a good anti-boner, which took care of the partial erection he'd had for the past hour. On the other hand, his girlfriend was crying, and just admitted that she was suicidal.

Unsure of what else to do, he did what he usually did- pulled her into a hug to cry on his shoulder.

He wasn't sure exactly why she was sad, but she mentioned Jura, so he had the urge to punch the guy in the face for making her cry.

1.

On day three, Fairy Tail Team B found themselves in their usual observation room, waiting anxiously for the games to begin. They had started to make a comeback the previous day, and they were excited to carry the momentum over into the next few days.

Once they announced that the word was 'Pandemonium', Kibo volunteered for it. She felt like punching things, and the word implied that there would be a fight.

"Are you sure you're up for it? You were pretty badly injured the other day." Mirajane asked, and the brunette nodded.

"I'll be fine." She said, and then left the room, leaving questioning stares behind her. Ever since last night she felt raw, tired, and confused- beating something up seemed straightforward enough to deal with her stress.

When she reached the middle of the field, she discovered that Erza had decided to participate this round. She made her way over to her, since the only other people she recognized were either enemies or confusing friends.

"You excited?" Kibo asked the red head, and she smiled, nodding.

"Yeah. Make no mistake, Kibo, you're my enemy in this round. I won't hold back even if you're nakama."

"Well that's a relief. I was going to say the same to you." The brunette said with a smirk, causing the woman to chuckle.

"This will be an interesting match." Jura told them as he approached. "Erza, Miss Hissori." He said, bowing to them.

"You can call me Kibo, Jura. You don't have to be so formal." Kibo said, her face tinted red.

The man chuckled. "Alright, Kibo."

"I'm going to go chat with Milianna." Erza stated, missing the awkward expression on her friends face at the mention of the name, and then walking away.

"Did you confirm the information with Makarov?" Jura asked when Erza was out of earshot, slightly amused by the short woman's awkward stature. Considering her title, history, and the fact that he'd seen her fight a dragon, he'd always imagined her to be much more confident by her age. He'd never imagined that the Great Dragonslayer would be an awkward 20 year old girl.

"Laxus did." She stated, trying to appear more calm by putting her hands in her pockets. Still adorned in the cloak from their previous match, little of her features were seen, so to the audience she probably seemed perfectly fine, if not a little mysterious.

"Little Kibo is fighting this time, huh?" A new presence spoke, causing the woman to internally groan. Of course one of the skeletons would be competing. "I was hoping for a chance to publicly humiliate you."

He didn't look like a skeleton right now, since it was daytime, but she still recognized his voice. She didn't know his name, but he was dressed in garb unique to their village. It was a ceremonial outfit, but he wore it proudly nonetheless, decked out from head-to-toe in war paint and tribal charms.

"There's no hostages for you to take this time, so I wouldn't count yourself lucky just yet." She replied, glaring at the man. He laughed loudly, his voice booming.

"You're a wizard from Raven Tail?" Jura asked, instantly on his guard.

"Mm-hmm." He hummed with a creepy grin.

"He's also one of the survivors from my village that was slaughtered… what, 25 years ago?"

"25 years, 2 months, 5 days." The man corrected, eyes narrowing at her. And with that he left, sauntering off to taunt one of the other contenders.

"What an odd man." Jura commented, and then looked over at the woman he'd been conversing with, noticing that she seemed mildly annoyed. They still had several minutes until the event would start, so he figured that he'd continue chatting with her. "I take it that you're not close?"

"He and some other survivors believe that I'm responsible for the death of our village. They've been trying to kill me for some time now."

"So that's why you were so surprised by my appraisal." He commented, watching her cheeks flare up. Although he had no romantic interest in her, the way her cheeks turned pink like that was rather cute, and he had no doubt she had plenty of gentlemen callers. "You should come to my home village sometime. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." He suggested, watching her cheeks, turn even redder.

Suddenly the crowd started 'ooh'ing and 'awe'ing, causing them to look up in curiosity. They stared in horror at the main screen at the end of the stadium, which at some point had turned into a 'kiss cam', and had focused on them.

"Do we see a budding romance between these two fighters?" The announcer asked, causing both of their faces to heat up in embarrassment.

"No!" She yelled back at him, and was glad when the 'kiss cam' moved and focused on another 'couple', specifically Milianna and Erza. The crowd cheered particularly loudly for them, and since the attention was no longer focused on them, Jura and Kibo inched away from each other.

Sometime later, after Erza destroyed the 100 monsters (much to the annoyance of Kibo, who had been excited to kill some hologram monsters), the contestants were supposed to show off their magic strength.

As the different wizards showed their strength, Kibo watched in annoyance, trying to figure out the best spell to use. She'd never used spells based on strength, but instead their practicality in combat situations, making this a perplexing decision.

She supposed that tapping the magical energy of the Earth and channeling it into her dragon roar would be the most effective, but unlike her battle with Jura, it would be overly obvious about her dragonslayer origins. Channeling it through her hand would be slightly less effective, but would get the job done.

"You're up!" Someone told her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"What's the highest score so far?" She asked the pumpkin man.

"8, 544!" He told her, and she nodded.

"I would have thought it would be higher." She said with a shrug, and then started summoning the magic from the ground.

Somehow she tapped into a massive reservoir of magic beneath the stadium, eerily similar to the magic she sensed from Lucy the other day, and she momentarily stumbled from the sheer power of it. She raised her hand to the magic device, her eyes glowing and the ground shaking beneath her from the amount of power she was currently building up inside her.

Once she deemed that enough magic was accumulated, she shot it at the device, causing it to shake and sway dangerously as dust clouds formed. The surrounding wizards and audience had to shield their eyes from the brightness of it, and brace themselves against the magical shockwave that resulted.

After another minute of waiting for the dust to clear, a resounding gasp erupted from the audience.

"You… you broke it!?" The pumpkin man screeched.

"Does that mean I win?" Kibo asked, letting her cloak shroud her body in mystery again. A grin had encompassed her face.

"I… this has never happened before!"

"Good job." Erza congratulated her, giving her a solid pat on the back.

"Fairy Tail has managed to break both parts of this game!" The pumpkin man cried. "Fairy Tail team B gets second place."

"Hell yeah." Kibo said, the same grin still plastered on her face.

2.

That night, Fairy Tail decided to celebrate their victories by going to the water park.

Soon after arriving, both Bickslow and Fried happened across Evergreen and Elfman, who were hiding pitifully behind a giant rock. The seith mage couldn't wait to taunt the woman with this knowledge, and he was especially delighted at how much the brunette was trying to hide from their guild members. She knew very well that her team would tease her endlessly, not to mention the rest of the guild.

"Ever loooves him~" The blue-haired man stated, and Fried nodded next to him, thoroughly entertained by the knowledge.

"Speaking of love… looks like your girlfriend is chatting with Jura again." Fried stated, pointing to the pair standing by a pool. Earlier that evening when the kiss cam had focused on them, Bickslow hadn't been happy, to say the least. The camera had focused on them right when Jura had invited her to his home village, and given the blush on her cheeks, Fried couldn't blame his friend for getting the wrong impression.

Kibo was still dressed in a cloak, although now it was a blue one, while Jura was only dressed in swim trunks. Upon seeing them Bickslow gasped at the sight and was gone in an instant, leaving a laughing Fried behind to watch the scene unfold. As he watched his teammates awkwardly stumble with their 'secret' partners, he could help but feel a twinge of jealousy, despite the entertainment aspect.

"Heeeey, Kibo. How's it going?" Bickslow asked as he approached the pair, trying to dispel the urge to fight the tall man. Given the fact that Fairy Tail was notorious for being protective of the female members, along with starting fights for even less, Jura gladly took a small step away from the woman to avoid a confrontation.

"I'm good, how are you? And have you seen Mystogan around by any chance?"

"No, why?" Bickslow asked curiously, not hiding his jealousy very well.

"I'll see you later Kibo." Jura said as he waved goodbye, and the woman nodded, smiling at his retreating form.

"Why can't you hang out with girls?" Bickslow asked, regaining her attention. "And why are you wearing a cloak in here? Don't you have a bathing suit?"

"Jealous?" She asked, the question causing him to puff his chest and look away.

"Of course not. I just don't see why you need to talk to all these guys." He said, and glanced back at her, annoyed by her overly happy expression. "What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Let's go to the aquarium. I've heard that it's pretty cool." She said, winking at him.

"Whatever. Sure." He mumbled walking next to her. "You still didn't answer my question about the bathing suit."

"I didn't want you to get jealous of other men looking at me." She said, obviously happy with the reaction she got. "Just kidding. My injuries haven't fully healed, so I'd gross people out if I showed off so much skin."

"So you're not going to swim today? Why'd you even come here?"

"So I could see you in your swim suit." She said, sticking her tongue out at him and continuing his torture.

"Oh, Laxus is here?!" Bickslow stated excitedly, his eyes locking with his idol across a pool. Fried had noticed him as well, and was already making his way over to him.

Kibo wasn't surprised when the male walked away, running towards his friend excitedly with such enthusiasm, she doubt she'd ever get the same reaction for. During training, she'd accepted that his love for his friend was something she could never compete with.

"Hey cutie." A familiar voice spoke, causing her to turn towards an all too familiar face. "Why are you covering up such a hot bod?"

"Thought I'd be rebellious and wear something out of the norm."

"Right on, fight the power!" Bacchus cheered, laughing at the end. Kibo noticed her boyfriend doing stretches in the background, completely oblivious to the man talking to her.

"I was disappointed we didn't get a rematch this year."

"Given your recent upgrade, it would have been a lot of fun." He said with a sly grin, and she giggled. "In all seriousness, I wanted to come over here and thank you."

"Eh?"

"Remember when we started making out, and I had that freak spleen rupture?" He asked, smirking at the blush on her cheeks. "Well, whatever healing magic you used on me cured my heart disease, too. At the time I'd had an estimated 2 months to live."

"What? Seriously!?" She said, a bit louder than she'd intended and getting Bickslow's attention. The man started laughing again. "Wait, why did you wait until now to tell me? That was almost 4 years ago."

"I forgot." He said with a shrug, and then took a drink from the gourd handing from his waist. "Anyway, I was hoping to return the favor." Bacchus said, inching closer to her with bedroom eyes.

"Sorry, not interested."

"Eeeh? You were interested back then."

"Not this year." She said awkwardly, taking a step back.

"You sure? I can be a lot of fun."

"She said she's not interested." The seith mage stated, now standing next to her with his arms crossed and chest puffed out. Bacchus looked him up and down, and after glancing between the two, took a step back.

"You could have just said you were taken. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." The man said with a wink, and started walking away, likely to join his guild members in a nearby pool.

"Thanks."

"I leave for two seconds and Bacchus starts hitting on you?" He asked, looking at her with an annoyed stare. His hands were on his hips, and she couldn't help but be entertained by his macho stature. For whatever reason, he was much more protective than usual, and she couldn't help but feel a little satisfied by it.

"Guys dig the cloak. What can I say?"

"Whatever."

"I'm still headed to the aquarium. Have fun with laxus." She said and started to leave, but he put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"You should stay and hang out with us."

"I'm not swimming today, remember?" She said, but then tensed when he saw the evil glint in his eye. "Don't you dare!" Trying to get out of his reach, but ultimately failing, she squirmed as his arms found her waist and easily picked her up.

"Party time!" He yelled as he jumped into the deep end of the pool, girl in his arms as they submerged under the water together.

3.

"You were so mean to me today, Kibo-chan…"

"You weren't all that nice, either." She replied to the man towering over her, pouting at the memory of being dunked into the water.

"At least I wasn't flirting with girls all day."

"I wasn't flirting." She told him, still pouting. Her back was starting to itch from being pressed against the tree, and despite the convenient hiding place for them, it wasn't all that comfy. "And can we go get dinner or something? This tree is uncomfortable."

He ignored her request and kissed her, letting his tongue roam her teeth until she allowed him access to her mouth. When she had started to get into it, her hands finding their way to his messy blue locks of hair, he pulled away, eliciting a groan from her.

A hand on her shoulder pushed her back flat against the bark, and she gave him an annoyed look at the tattooed man. "Now what?"

"I just wanted to remind you that you're mine." He said, voice low and on the verge of growling. "And I don't like sharing." He leaned down and bit the nape of her neck.

"I'm hardly an object to possess." She stated, and flinched as his teeth bit down harder into her flesh. Mouth staying locked on her skin, she shifted uncomfortably beneath him, feeling an odd combination of annoyance and arousal at the gesture. "But if I am yours, then you're mine, too."

He bit down harder, now breaking skin and licking up the drops with his long tongue.

Thigh reaching in between her legs, she parted them slightly, surprised that such a simple gesture turned her on so much. Her nether region was pulsing with want and need, slowly grinding against the upper thigh that had parted her legs. As he let go of her neck, a small whine escaped her mouth, surprised by the abruptness of it.

"Thai food?" He asked, smirking as he untangled himself from her, dodging her attempt to bring him back.

"Are we ever going to have sex, or are you going to just keep getting me riled up and then getting distracted by something?"

"You really want to lose your virginity in a park, hiding behind a tree?" He asked, now standing a few feet from her. As he spoke he was putting his visor and hood back on, effectively concealing half of his face again.

"I don't really care where I do it. I've never had any romantic notions of it, other than it's with someone I care about."

"How about we plan on 'doing the deed' after the Grand Magic Games is over? I'll plan some kind of romantic evening for us, and afterwards we can go back to your place."

"But that's over 4 days away." She whined, and smiled when he closed the gap between them again.

"Impatient to have my cock inside you?" He asked, and at his crude words, her face heated up and muscles tensed. Eyes wide, she stared into his visor, having the added effect of being unable to see his eyes. In that instance, she wondered if it would make the situation less or even more awkward. "That's what I thought. Let's go get food."

1.

On Day 5, after the events of the Games, Kibo couldn't help but be excited by the announcement of dragons entering the city.

It had been years since she had an actual opponent, namely the blood dragon that trained her. Ever since then, her opponents had been pathetically weak, and it was painful to hold back so much.

Whether she liked it or not, killing was her specialty. Especially dragon slaying.

Their guild was in position. They heard the roars of dragons in the distance.

"You should go with Levy to help evacuate." Bickslow stated as he turned towards her, earning a confused expression.

"Eh? Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because I don't want to worry about you the entire time." He said, his voice low enough so that the others couldn't hear. They were off to the side of the group, close enough to fight but far enough to talk in private.

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, and I'm going to stand by my friends in battle. If you're so worried about getting distracted, maybe you should go help with the evacuation."

"Stop being so stubborn and just do as I said."

"I've already lost one family to a dragon, I'm not going to stand by and let it happen again. Bark orders at me all you want, I'm not going anywhere." She said with a glare, arms cross and determined expression on her face.

Bickslow grunted, turning away and walking over to Elfman.

Kibo tried to ignore the hurt he probably felt at her rejection, and guilt she felt at making him worry. She hoped that it wouldn't cloud his judgment during battle.

A fire dragon started to approach the group, gaining everyone's attention. Some of the wizards, including Bickslow, cheered in excitement about going all out with their magic.

Kibo stood towards the back of the group, using her extra sense to listen to the dragon's strange body to find a weakness.

Gray and Juvia were the first to strike, given their magic element. When that didn't work and the dragon retaliated, sending a wave of flames at them, Fried tried to stop it with no success. Kibo ran towards the flames, and as everyone was being flung back, she started eating the heated magic that had engulfed them. It wasn't enough to take out the entire attack, but it was enough to reduce some of the damage and power her up.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked, looking around at her fallen friends. As they started talking about the power behind the dragon, she figured that meant they were okay, and returned her attention to her opponent. Walking up to the creature and now being closer to it than her comrades, the fire dragon locked eyes with her, especially with the fire dancing along her skin.

"You absorbed my attack?"

"Part of it. Thanks for the food, I've been starving for some good dragon fire."

"Are you a dragonslayer?" He asked curiously, surprised that a mere human could survive the attack.

Both of their attention turned to the growing man behind her, watching as the small Guild Master began growing in size. She frowned, knowing not only did he not stand a chance, but that he could get hurt in the process. "Guild Master! You don't need to fight!" She yelled up to him, but he merely ignored her and kept growing.

"Kibo, get out of the way!" Bickslow yelled to her, reminding her that she was standing between a very pissed off Guild Master and a Fire Dragon.

After giving Makarov another look, she sighed, and walked off to the side.

"We are no ordinary wizards!" The old man yelled, stepping forward and ready to fight the firey creature. The brunette slowly walked back over to her comrades, flames still dancing along her skin.

"I can just eat fire and shit, but whatever." She muttered, barely being affected by the shockwave of the attack gramps gave him. When another wave of fire threatened to burn her friends, she tried to redirect most of it back to her, breathing in the harsh flames.

"You're on fire!" Ever exclaimed, confused that no one else was startled by this news.

"I'm good." She said simply, returning her attention to the fight at hand like everyone else. Given the monster battle taking place, it was difficult for anyone to focus on anything else. Kibo decided that after the Guild Master fell, or if he got himself in a too tight of spot, she'd intervene with her magic. Until then, she'd let Makarov have his moment.

When Makarov fell, everyone turned towards Mavis, the great tactician.

Natsu's voice then rang out, informing the resident dragonslayers to start dragon hunting.

Without waiting to hear what her guild had to say, Kibo ran at the dragon full speed, much to the surprise and worry of the other wizards.


	9. Chapter 9, Last One

**B Chapter 9**

 _Bickslow is Bad at Expressing His Feelz_

"Have you guys noticed that Bickslow and Kibo have been gone since we got back?" Lucy commented one day, noticing their disappearance yet again. It had been a week since the Grand Magic Games ended, and even though she saw them having fun at the consequential partying at the Guild Hall, hadn't seen them since. Normally it wouldn't be strange, but considering that the rest of Thunder Legion had been at the Guild Hall, it was odd to see them without the pair.

"They're probably doing a job together or something." Gray commented.

"They're in loooove~" Happy spoke, earning a chuckle from the group.

"They did seem awfully close at the party." Lucy commented.

"Apparently they slept together during the games. Mirajane and the rest of the team caught them cuddling together in their room." Erza spoke, causing Gray to choke on his water.

"That's pretty careless. Weren't they sharing the room?" Natsu asked unfazed, and she nodded.

"I thought you liked Kibo? Aren't you jealous at all?" Lucy asked, causing the pink-haired boy to snicker.

"Eh. We only went out because people kept setting us up." He said with a shrug, mentally smirking at the embarrassed blush on the blonde's face.

"But- but you two were perfect for each other!"

"She's interested in Bickslow, anyway. If they're happy I don't see any reason to get between them."

"Actually, I remember seeing him in the weight room this morning, now that I think about it." Gray commented, redirecting the conversation back to the 'secret' couple's whereabouts.

"He's been in there almost 24/7 this week." Elfman added nearby, having overheard part of the conversation. "Like a real man!"

"Are you guys talking about Bickslow?" Evergreen asked from her table, Laxus and Fried sitting near her. "When he hasn't been in the weight room, he's been a loose canon. He almost broke my arm the other day."

"That's not nice, Ever. You know why he's acting this way." Fried told her, realizing too late that he'd peaked the curiosity of his fellow comrades.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm sorry, but alas, that's the end for this story! This is about when I was hopping madly from one fanfic idea to another, and couldn't bring myself to work on this one anymore. In place of this one I'll be posting another Bickslowxoc story, though, so stay tuned! I have another Bickslowxoc story, Walking Cliche, that will still be updating for a long time and there's plenty of, so if you liked this story, I recommend checking that out!

Thank you all for reading this! Have an awesome day!


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